Panorama: Mariinsky Theatre
On February15, St. Petersburg’s famous Mariinsky Theatre ran a show to celebrate the 80 years of the history of rhythmic gymnastics. The show featured top gymnasts of the planet, winners of the Olympic, World and European Championships, among them Alina Kabayeva, Evgenia Kanaeva, Yulia Barsukova, Svetlana Khorkina, and Tamara Moskvina. The show consisted of four parts. It opened with a tribute to Isadora Duncan. The second part featured champion gymnasts performing a dance of goddesses to Stravinsky’s music from The Rite of Spring. Opera star Maria Gulegina performed Norma’s trademark aria Casta Diva. The third part featured more gymnastics performances by some of the best athletes of the world. The show culminated with Glinka’s Glory performed by the Mariinsky Theatre’s orchestra and choir directed by Valery Gergiev. The show was co-produced by the organizing team which delivered the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. Panorama St. Petersburg delivered live broadcast of the show for the Russia-2 TV Channel. Panorama’s team used a 24-cam OB-unit and special TV equipment.