The dance company of the Croatian National Theater in Zagreb—Croatia’s leading and oldest theater institution—is making its debut at the LAC with a choreographic diptych that pays tribute to Igor Stravinsky and the revolutionary Ballets Russes movement.
The Firebird / Petrushka
Croatian National Theater in Zagreb / Igor Stravinsky / Maša Kolar / Edward Clug
© Ines Novković
1h22’
The Firebird 24’
Intermission 20’
Petrushka 38’
The Firebird / Petrushka
Croatian National Theater in Zagreb / Igor Stravinsky / Maša Kolar / Edward Clug
© Ines Novković
1h22’
The Firebird 24’
Intermission 20’
Petrushka 38’
The award-winning Zagreb-based choreographer Maša Kolar offers a new interpretation of the Russian fairy tale *The Firebird*, distilling the narrative into a more concentrated and conceptual form, based on Stravinsky’s 1919 suite—an abstract version of the original score. The result is a reimagined tale, interwoven with abstract elements and a shifted balance of power between the creature and Prince Ivan, who finds himself lost in an enchanted garden in the dead of night. In this interpretation, the Firebird dominates the stage, while the prince ultimately surrenders completely to its power.
Romanian choreographer Edward Clug presents a reinterpretation of *Petruška* in dialogue with the original, with the legacy of Fokine and Stravinsky, and with the tradition of the Ballets Russes, enriching it with a personal vision. The result is a ballet characterized by a refined aesthetic and an intense use of color, capable of evoking the spirit of the historic company both visually and choreographically. At its core lies the universality of the story of a puppet tragically destined for defeat, who, consumed by love and desire for an unfaithful ballerina, sacrifices his lifeless existence. A story that surprisingly mirrors today’s world, where the individual is often surrounded by people who act like puppets, unaware of their own roles.