Rector of GITIS Grigoriy Zaslavskiy and rector of Gnessin Academy Aleksandr Ryzhinskiy visited Dakar where they held a meeting with the new Minister of Youth, Sports, and Culture of Senegal, Khady Gaye.
“During the meeting, we discussed the methodological support to build strong base for training for teachers working in theater and music arts, as well as the continuation and expansion of existing collaboration programs with the Grand Théâtre National de Dakar and the Daniel Sorano National Theatre,” said Grigoriy Zaslavskiy.
As part of the collaboration between GITIS and the Grand Théâtre National de Dakar in Senegal, GITIS professor Maksim Valukin, and GITIS choreography department students (artists from the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theatre) presented a suite from The Nutcracker in Dakar. It was a joint performance with artists of Senegal’s Daniel Sorano National Theatre, students from the Dakar Institute of Arts, and the Ballet Academy of the Grand Théâtre National de Dakar. Maksim Valukin’s adaptation of The Nutcracker marked the first large-scale theatrical production as part of the cultural partnership between GITIS and Senegalese theatre institutions.
This cultural exchange was made possible with the support of Slou Akimgereeva, a GITIS graduate and Director of the Ballet Academy at Senegal’s Grand Théâtre National. This summer, Akimgereeva took the role of GITIS Ambassador to Senegal.
The visit by GITIS and the Gnessin Academy, along with the broader cultural collaboration project, was organized by the Russian Cultural Center in Senegal, Kalinka. This initiative is part of the Priority 2030 strategic leadership program.
Here’s the media coverage of the visit and the performance:
