​Theatre & dance

The development of opera and ballet has been a cultural priority for Kazakhstan. Today Kazakhstan is home to 52 state theatres, including seven puppet theatres, four children's theatres, three opera and ballet theatres, and two satirical theatres. There are also four theatres dedicated to Uyghur and Korean musical comedy, and German and Uzbek drama. Approximately 12,000 performances are produced in Kazakhstan annually. 

In 2013, the state opera and ballet theatre 'Astana Opera' was founded at the initiative of President Nazarbayev. Since independence, about 100 new productions have been staged.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake at the Astana Opera

Large-scale ballet productions include:

• La Bayadère
• Le Corsaire
• Giselle
• La Sylphide
• Red Giselle
• Anna Karenina
• Romeo and Juliet
• Karakoz

Notable opera productions include:

• La Bohème
• Madame Butterfly
• Rigoletto, Aida
• Tannhauser
• Love drink

These productions were conducted under the guidance of world-famous choreographers Yuri Grigorovich, Boris Eifman and Vakil Usmanov.

The leaders of world opera, José Cura and Barbara Frittoli, and globally renowned ballerinas, Mélanie Hurel and Karl Paquette, participated in some of these performances.

Currently 31 state concert institutions operate in Kazakhstan, including:

• Kurmangazy Kazakh State Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments
• Zhambyl Kazakh State Philharmonic
• Saltanat State Dance Ensemble
• State Academic Dance Theatre
• Camerata Kazakhstan ensemble of classical music
• Astana Ballet Theatre
• Kazakh Koncert state concert organization

Talented young people of Kazakhstan proudly represent their art both domestically and abroad. Kazakh opera and ballet soloists have become laureates and award winners of prestigious international competitions and festivals.

Leading opera soloists such as Sundet Baigozhin, Baurzhan Anderzhanov, Zhupar Gabdullina, Saltanat Akhmetova, Medet Chotabaev and leading ballet soloists Madina Basbaeva, Aigerim Beketaeva, Yerkin Rakhmatullaev and Bakhtiyar Adamzhan, regularly perform at world-renowned theatres.

In 2016 the Kazakh National Academy of Choreography, the new multi-level academy of choreography, was opened in Nur-Sultan.

It is the first institution of its kind in the Central Asian region designed to prepare students who are looking to pursue a career in ballet.

Astana Ballet theatre dancers performing