“Cleopatra” Ballet at Cairo Opera House

29 January 2024

Within the Ministry of Culture’s strategy to promote all forms of creativity and innovation, the Cairo Opera House, under the supervision of Dr. Khaled Dagher, presents “Cleopatra” ballet by the Cairo Opera Ballet Company for four successive nights. Accompanied with the Cairo Opera Orchestra under the baton of Mohamed Saad Basha, the performances take place at the Main Hall on 1, 2, 4 and 5 February at 8 p.m.
Set to music by Mohamed Saad Basha, the Ballet is choreographed by Jose Perez and Renee De Cardenas (assistant choreographer), with set and costume design by Manuela Cieri and lighting design by Yasser Shaalan.
“Cleopatra” is a historical ballet that depicts the famous story of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt and her marriage to Mark Antony, who shared the throne of the Roman Empire with Octavian after the assassination of Julius Caesar. Octavian later declared war against Cleopatra and Mark Antony, leading to their defeat in the naval Battle of Actium and their tragic end.
Established in 1966, the Cairo Opera Ballet Company was first affiliated to the Higher Institute of Ballet (Academy of Arts). During that time, the members of the Company were coached by Soviet experts. The first production of the Company was “The Fountain of Bakhchisaray” directed by Leonid Lavrovsky, former director of the Bolshoi Theater.
In 1991, the Cairo Opera Ballet Company was integrated into the National Cultural Center “Cairo Opera House” presenting a vast repertoire of international classical ballets like “Romeo and Juliet”, “Swan Lake”, “The Nutcracker”, “Cinderella”, “Le Corsaire”, “Carmina Burana”, “Boléro”, “Lorkiana”, “Hamlet”, “Malgré Tout”, “Zorba”, “One Thousand and One Nights”, “Danses qu’on Croise”, “Odysseus”, “Spartacus”, “The Rites of Spring”, “Pinocchio” and “Jeu d’Échecs”.
Since 1972, the Cairo Opera Ballet Company has embarked on numerous international tours traveling to Moscow, Leningrad, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Germany, France, Italy, United States of America, Tunisia, Korea and China.