PICTURE PERFECT

Choreography Kaloyan Boyadzhiev (Norway)

The work to be presented by Kaloyan Boyadjiev is Picture Perfect. Translated it means "Picture Perfect".

"Actually it's a slang expression used when doing photography. The photographed should freeze in the perfect pose, be smiling, attractive, as if posing for a magazine cover. The idea was provoked by the importance modern society places on appearance and the frantic desire of people to look like super models. Society is hectic, drawing its conclusions about a person from a momentary impression without bothering to get to know them. No one cares what kind of person you are, but what you look like.This is what the quest for the perfect look is all about. Beauty comes down to a certain standard, and to me it is a complex concept, something that defies templating. Among the titles I suggested, this is the choreography that Silvia Tomova chose. I always try to make choreographies with an odd number of dancers and this piece is no exception - seven performers are involved. The music is electronic and minimalistic, it is a collage that I chose myself" - says choreographer Kaloyan Boyadzhiev. The choreography, which will be shown in Stara Zagora, is the first original work with which Kaloyan presents himself to a Bulgarian audience.

KALOYAN BOYADJIEV is a graduate of the National School of Dance Art with teacher Ilian Drangazhov, as a student he participated in the performances of the Arabesque Ballet and the Sofia Opera and Ballet. In 1993, when he was only sixteen years old, Kaloyan was invited to be part of the cult modern dance company Amarant Dance Studio. The following year he was a finalist in the Paris International Ballet Competition and was offered jobs by two places, the Young Ballet of France and the State Ballet of South Africa in Pretoria. On the advice of Ilian Drangazhov, Kaloyan went to far away Pretoria where in less than five years he rose to the position of principal soloist and danced central roles in almost all the productions. At a very young age, our home-grown talent was given the tremendous chance to build on his professional development with repertoire by Bournonville, Ashton and Macmillan. Escalating tensions in South Africa forced him to return to Sofia. During the period 2000 - 2002, Bulgarian audiences had the opportunity to enjoy the mastery of our young star. As a soloist of the Sofia National Ballet Kaloyan danced in numerous performances - "The Nutcracker", "Swan Lake", "Giselle". His most vivid and memorable performances are John from Zorba the Greek, James from Sylphide and Basil from Don Quixote. Kaloyan Boyadjiev did not stay long on his native stage. In 2002, Dina Björn (at that time director of the Norwegian National Ballet) invited him to audition in Oslo. An immediate appointment followed that same season, and six months later Kaloyan Boyadjiev was a premier soloist with one of the richest and most prestigious ballet companies in Europe. Alongside central roles throughout the classical repertoire, he was given the unique chance to dance in choreographies by American legends George Balanchine and Glen Tetley, working with such figures as Jiri Killian, William Forsyth, Mats Ek, Nacho Duato, Alexander Ekman, Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon. In 2005 the young premier soloist of the Norwegian Opera staged his first workOpen for discussion. In the following years he staged a total of ten titles for the Oslo Ballet. In 2015 - 2018 he was invited to direct the newly established National Ballet of Norway 2 (the theatre's youth company). Kaloyan Boyadjiev is building one of the most successful youth companies in the world, enriching it with classical and modern titles by international choreographers. In 2016, Kaloyan Boyadjiev staged his first full-length ballet in Oslo, The Nutcracker, which became an important part of the company's repertoire, was nominated by Dance Europemagazine in the Best Premiere category and received high praise from Norwegian ballet critics. The following season Kaloyan Boyadjiev was invited to choreograph Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. The production was conceived as a super production, for the scenography of which the global architectural company Snoheta, best known for the design and realization of the ingenious Oslo Opera House, as well as the new Alexandria Library and the 9/11 Memorial in New York, was invited. The latter creative engagement is a strong testament to the high appreciation of our compatriot's talent and ability.

Premiere July 24, 9 pm, stage Antique Forum "Augusta Traiana"