Steppes Rhapsody brings Kazakh heritage to Europe’s theater festival

Avignon OFF annually brings together theater companies from around the world and is considered one of the largest performing arts festivals in Europe. Steppes Rhapsody, directed by Adlet Tamenov, is a contemporary theatrical piece combining traditional music, vocals, and choreography that explores national heritage and cultural identity.

“I really wanted French audiences to discover the contemporary art of Kazakhstan and gain an understanding of the diversity of shows the country produces,” said Harold David, president of the Avignon festival. “More than 2,000 theater producers from different countries attend our festival every year - they come to select performances for their own programs and bring them to new stages. The festival is essentially a creative marketplace, a space for meetings and professional exchange. That is why I hope your production will interest producers, and they will invite you back for future tours and festivals. We genuinely operate in the logic of cultural exchange and intercultural dialogue, and such a live meeting with the audience is exactly what makes that dialogue possible.”

Four theater groups from Almaty were included in the official program, marking a first in the festival’s history. Alongside the Alatau Traditional Art Theater, the invited companies are the State Puppet Theater, Artishok, and Zholda. A key feature of the production is considered to be the live ethno-folk ensemble that performs throughout the show. The program includes works by Kurmangazy Sagyrbayev, Nurgisa Tlendiyev, and traditional melodies.

According to Akimat, Steppes Rhapsody features musicians and vocalists performing on more than 20 traditional Kazakh instruments. Among them are dombyra player Arnai Nadyrkhanov and drummer lyas Serikbayev, as well as vocalists Ulzhan Aglakova and Dias Muratkhan, and dancers Meruert Kalizat and Aigerim Asanova.

"We are incredibly pleased to see and hear how the audience applauds standing and expresses its delight after the performance. The artists on stage sing Kazakh songs and play our sacred national instruments. I also show very complex and amazing tricks with two axes - this is also one of the elements of the traditional Kazakh five-weapon. We are happy to perform on the stage of France at such a large-scale and important theater festival. For us, this is a great support," director Adlet Tamenov commented.

Steppes Rhapsody is running for ten consecutive days and has already been listed among the notable productions of this year.

Earlier this year, the Almaty Puppet Theater also gained international recognition by winning an award at the International Puppet Festival in Canada.