Romeo and Juliet set to entrance Istanbul ballet lovers

The Istanbul State Opera and Ballet will stage Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet on Saturday at the Ataturk Cultural Center in the city's Beyoglu district.

The performance, adapted from Shakespeare's play, aims to elegantly and aesthetically blend fundamental human emotions such as love, passion, hatred, and sacrifice.

Combining the technical intricacies of classical ballet with dramatic storytelling, the choreography, created by Ricardo Amarante specifically for Istanbul State Opera and Ballet's dancers, will bring the timeless tale to life on stage.

Speaking to Anadolu about the production, Istanbul State Opera and Ballet Chief Choreographer Aysem Sunal Savaskurt highlighted the significance of Romeo and Juliet in the world of ballet.

"I have been the chief choreographer for ten years, and we have produced many beautiful works, all of which I hold dear, but this one is truly special," Savaskurt said.

"In this production, not only the lead dancers but also the ensemble performs extensively. It is an incredibly intense and dramatically weighty piece," she said.

"I believe this performance elevates artists to a new level, including the stage and technical teams," she said, adding: "Around 200 people have contributed to this production."

Dancer Batur Buklu, who portrays Romeo, emphasized that Romeo and Juliet was one of the two performances he had always dreamed of dancing.

"Romeo is a character in search of love, someone who is in love with the very idea of love. Juliet, in turn, falls deeply for Romeo," he said.

"They discover something so special that they are willing to sacrifice their lives for it," Buklu remarked.