In the new theatre season, Almaty's ballet community saw a notable personnel change: renowned dancer and former soloist of the Abai Kazakh National Opera and Ballet Theatre Nelson Peña Núñez has officially switched stages and joined the Bolat Ayukhanov State Academic Dance Theatre, infohub.kz reports.
The artist has taken the position of leading soloist and rehearsal coach. He has not yet publicly explained his reasons for the move.
For Nelson's many fans, who for years attended performances featuring him largely because of his striking looks and charisma, the news came as a surprise. The artist is originally from Cuba but has lived and worked in Almaty for many years.
He is known to be happily married and raising children, balancing family life with his stage career. Nelson has now joined the troupe of the Bolat Ayukhanov Dance Theatre. For the company, this is the milestone 60th season, which the theatre is opening for the first time under its founder's name.
The revamped theatre is actively expanding its repertoire, bringing back landmark productions from past years, and attracting bright stars of the Kazakh stage.
Earlier, Kursiv LifeStyle reported that the Abai Kazakh National Opera and Ballet Theatre performed on the stage of the ancient theatre in Aspendos. The troupe presented Aram Khachaturian's ballet Spartacus.