Nacho Duato. Mikhailovsky Theatre will always be in my heart

On the eve of the Mikhailovsky Theatre’s 180th anniversary, its artistic leaders, those who represent the present and future of the theatre, explain — entirely subjectively — what the Mikhailovsky Theatre means to them personally and what episodes in its history they consider to be the most important and significant.

Nacho Duato, Artistic Director of the Mikhailovsky Ballet
The Mikhailovsky Theatre has its own special atmosphere; here you realize what absolute devotion to ballet really is. What I love most of all in life is to spend time in the ballet studio with my dancers, thinking up new movements and conveying my vision of dance to the artists. We work very hard here. It is impossible to imagine anywhere else where there would be a dress rehearsal on the day of a performance. I feel happy and free, and I am doing what I love. In my time at the Mikhailovsky Theatre I have been able to work on the great ballet classics; with my own hands I have created my Sleeping Beauty, and next will be The Nutcracker. This is a very special experience for me, and the Mikhailovsky Theatre will always be in my heart.