The centuries-old history of relations between Russia and France has left an indelible stamp on the cultural codes of both countries, therefore, France's participation in the Forum with a special program of events for various audiences — from digital media art to modern interpretation of Russian classical ballet — is a landmark event.
One of the most anticipated events not only of the French program, but also of the Forum will be the Swan Lake production by Angelin Preljocaj — the only French choreographer after the legendary Marius Petipa invited to stage the production at the Mariinsky Theater (The Park, 2011). This year, Preljocaj will present his take on the iconic ballet. The costumes for the production were created by Russian designer Igor Chapurin.
Valentina Losso and Rafael Navarro ("14:20" theater company, France) invite Russian audience to discover the genre of "new magic" via the play "Night Light. Holographic Cabaret". Created by Losso and Navarro 20 years ago, the genre uses the traditional tools of the illusionist to create large-scale artistic expressions at the intersection of contemporary art and mass performances — in an era of globalization and instant information dissemination, when it is more and more difficult to find phenomena that make up the specificity of the cultural code of a particular country.
The festival of music and media art Avant-Garde, in addition to the musical program (concerts of famous French electronic musicians and media artists), will present several large-scale audiovisual installations by contemporary artists at Sevkabel Port.
As the Minister of Culture of the French Republic Roselyne Bachelot-Narkin emphasized in her response letter to the Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Olga Lyubimova, France's participation in the honorary status of a Guest Country of the Cultural Forum is especially important for the exchange of experience and enrichment of cultural ties that unite our countries.
