Astana Opera and Ballet Theater

Astana Opera and Ballet Theater in September

One of the blessings of living in a capital is that all sorts of cultural events are at the tips of our fingers. The city has a number of museums, galleries, theaters, and concert halls. On December 27 we took our family to the infamous Astana Opera and Ballet Theater to see the Nutcracker. This new Theater was built in 2013 and is grand and beautiful! The building itself is 64,000 square meters. Of these, about 3,000 square meters is the stage area. If I am not mistaken there are 4 levels in the theater (6 levels inside the stage area), and right above the main opera and ballet stage is a separate chamber music hall. We went there at the beginning of January to see Peter and the Wolf.

When we lived in Iowa I took the two older girls to see Nutcracker. That was a performance done by the local ballet school. They did a wonderful job, and we had a great time. But ever since that outing I wanted to take my girls to a professional ballet. Living here in Astana gave us that wonderful opportunity at a very affordable price (the best seats were going for about $40, the cheapest were about $3)

In front of Astana Opera and Ballet Theater - going to see the Nutcracker.

When we first walked into Astana Opera House, our first impression was that we’re standing in the middle of grand palace. Some of the ladies were wearing formal evening gowns and some men were in tuxedos, though they were the minority. Everybody else was dressed very nicely but more casually. Our girls decided to wear their fancy dresses and they looked like they totally belonged there!

The girls changing their shoes.

Since it was Christmas/New Year’s season, in the middle of the hall stood a big and beautiful Christmas Tree! Around New Year they hold Novogodniye Utrenniki (New Year Celebrations for children) in there just as in all of the other theaters, concert halls and entertainments centers around the city. 

The big Christmas Tree in the entrance hall

Our family in the entrance hall. I guess Lexa wasn't ready for the picture!

 

Now we are ready for the picture!

When I bought our tickets I decided to get one of the bell-etage private sections. They had a section with 7 seats in it. There were six of us plus my mom who was visiting us from Krasnoyarsk, just perfect! We had a good view, and the kids loved being up high (we were only on the second level but to them it felt up high).

Here is our little private corner.

The view of the stage and the orchestra pit from our seats.

Isn't it beautiful!? There were no empty seats by the time the ballet started.

The twins watching the people from their little "nest"

A scene from the Nutcracker

Another scene from the Nutcracker

The ballet performance was outstanding! The decorations were beautiful! And the music was magical! Spencer was fascinated by the orchestra down in the orchestra pit and was probably watching them more than the performance itself. But the rest of us had our eyes glued to the stage. During the 20 min intermission I took the girls to the main hall, and they spent the whole time twirling and jumping like ballerinas there.

 

Showing off their ballet moves!

All in all we had a wonderful time!

These two dancers were amazing!

A couple of weeks later my mom and I took the girls to see Peter and the Wolf which was a wonderful experience as well. Peter and the Wolf was written by Prokofiev to teach kids about symphony and the instruments that play in symphony. This time we went to the chamber music hall on the top level of the theater. We also discovered a little museum of costumes that were used in different performances.

Second level of the theater.

The ceiling in the chamber music hall 

The museum of costumes used in some of the performances by famous opera singers and ballet dancers.

One of the dresses in the museum

We are looking forward to visiting this beautiful place again!