Olga Melnik-Malakhova: Intriguing Physiology Takes Center Stage in Ballet
Experience Ballet Like Never Before
Get ready for a breathtaking transformation! “Bolero” is no longer a dance of passion and struggle under red lights. Instead, it’s performed in blue corsets and crinolines, with dancers audibly breathing and savoring apples on stage. The fatal Spanish Carmen drives men wild, dressed in a green skirt and adorned with a bright Mexican wreath instead of a red rose in her hair!
“Dances”: A Bold New Ballet
“Dances” is the second original production by Igor Kolb, the principal choreographer of the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus, premiered in April 2025. Following the success of “Illusions of Love,” this new ballet has sparked heated discussions among theatergoers and ballet enthusiasts alike. Combining three one-act ballets set to music by French composers (Ravel, Saint-Saëns, and Bizet), Igor Kolb presents his unique vision of the classic ballets “Bolero” and “Carmen Suite.” He challenges the traditional images created by renowned choreographers in their productions, such as Maurice Béjart, Alberto Alonso, Roland Petit, and Valentin Elizariev. Additionally, Kolb choreographed a one-act ballet to Saint-Saëns’ “Danse Macabre” based on his own libretto.
Meet the Visionary Artist: Olga Melnik-Malakhova
Olga Melnik-Malakhova, a Belarusian artist known for her monumental and pictorial works, has created entirely new, eclectic images and visual aesthetics for the performance. Her designs are filled with symbols and hidden signs that invite interpretation. After her third production at the Bolshoi Theatre, where she served as the costume and set designer, it’s safe to say that Belarus has gained another remarkable theatrical artist!
From Monumental Art to Theatrical Design
Olga, a graduate of the monumental painting department at the Belarusian Academy of Arts, shared her journey from being a monumental artist to becoming a theatrical designer:
“It didn’t happen overnight! After my first year at the Academy, I attended an exhibition of graduate works by students from various departments, including theater artists. I was amazed that I hadn’t heard anything about the theater design course during the year. My surprise turned into wild enthusiasm for what I saw! Like a child, I examined costume sketches, storyboards, and models presented as the highest level of art. I realized that a theater artist is a creator of a unique world!
After my second year, the Academy’s vice-rector, Mikhail Borozna, invited me to join them on a trip to Prague for the Quadrennial of Scenography. There, I met Boris Gerlovan, a legendary theater artist. Seeing my interest in scenography, they offered me the opportunity to study both monumental art and scenography simultaneously. I agreed with joy! However, after one semester, I realized that I couldn’t physically continue like that. I had to make a choice, but scenography remained in my heart, and theater never left my life.”
Discovering Theater and Early Collaborations
Olga admitted that she didn’t attend the theater much before entering the Academy. Her specialization in monumental painting is closely related to architecture, its features, scale, and various technologies. A monumental artist works with architectural space through imagery: painting, mosaics, and stained glass. This background helped her understand the scale and style of the stage space.
Her first theatrical collaboration was with the puppet theater in Brest. Despite being a monumental artist, she found that the working methods were similar: imagery, dynamics, and scale, but in their unique specificity.
Olga’s first theatrical production, “The Kingdom of Crooked Mirrors,” took place in 2009 at the Minsk Youth Theater. Although the work was somewhat chaotic, she continued to explore theater design. During her maternity leave, she found that designing theatrical performances was possible even while spending time with her child in the sandbox. She created two performances a year during her maternity leave!
Transition to the Bolshoi Theatre
The success of her “children’s scenographer” work led to an offer to create scenography for the opera production of Anna Motor’s “The Story of Kai and Gerda.” Olga expressed her gratitude to Andrei Merenkov, a scenographer who introduced her to the Bolshoi Theatre and its specifics.
As a debutante, Olga had complete creative freedom in the Bolshoi Theatre. She proposed her vision and ideas, most of which were accepted. Despite the tight deadlines, she and Anna Dmitrievna, an experienced director, managed to create a collaborative work.
Don’t miss the ballet “Dances” on June 7th at the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus. Experience the intriguing physiology and captivating visuals that Olga Melnik-Malakhova brings to the stage.
