President unexpectedly takes a bow together with artists.
Last night at the Croatian National Theatre, the opening night of the “Swan Lake” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was held, choreographed by world-renowned dancer and choreographer Vladimir Malakhov. However, the evening will be remembered less for the high quality of the performances, but more by a somewhat strange decision made by President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, who attended the performance and at the end came out on the stage to take a bow together with dancers and the creative staff, reports tportal.hr on March 18, 2017, quoting a report by teatar.hr.
According to reports, the completely astonished choreographer, who by the time the President arrived at the stage had already put his bouquet on the floor in front of the entire ensemble, tried to save the day by picking it up, after he was told who the person on the stage was, and handing it over to her.
The news quickly spread on social networks. Writing on Facebook, a well-known music critic Branimir Pofuk wrote that the President’s move was unheard of. In a series of comments under the post, he was asked how the audience reacted and Pofuk answered that it was “confused, just like the artists on the stage”.
It is not clear why no one advised the President that she should not come to the stage while the artists were taking a bow, particularly given the fact that she had watched the performance from a state box and had to invest considerable effort in order to reach to the stage.
Although the President is usually quite active on social networks, she has still not commented on the last night’s ballet experience, but the official website of the Office of the President published a news item titled “Excellent performance of the Zagreb ballet ensemble, together with the timeless beauty of music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, provided an unforgettable artistic experience”.
“President of the Republic Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović attended the opening night of the ballet Swan Lake, the most famous ballet that was performed last night at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb. For the acclaimed dancer and choreographer Vladimir Malakhov, schooled at the famous Moscow Ballet Academy of the Bolshoi Theatre, this is the first staging of this famous work created specifically for the Zagreb ballet ensemble, which thrilled the Zagreb audience.
President praise the proficiency of the Zagreb ballet ensemble which provided an unforgettable artistic experience. ‘This ballet interpretation has reminded us why exactly this ballet has become synonymous with classical ballet, popular in the world’, said President Grabar-Kitarović”, wrote the Office of the President on the official website.
The performance at the Croatian National Theatre was also attended by Culture Minister Nina Obuljen Koržinek, former Foreign Minister Miro Kovač, and famous film producer Branko Lustig. They apparently remained in their seats.
