Ahead of the season’s first premiere, the ballet evening titled Kazimir’s Colours / Rossini Cards, the Theatre Breakfast, taking place on 28 September 2026 at 11 a.m. in the Theatre’s foyer, will introduce us to the renowned Italian choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti and the artists involved in bringing his two choreographies to the stage of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb.
Mauro Bigonzetti is one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Italian choreography, recognised for his distinctive choreographic language, which combines the classical ballet tradition with contemporary sensibility, strong musicality, theatricality and humour. His works are performed by numerous international ballet companies, and Zagreb audiences will have the opportunity to experience Bigonzetti’s choreographic language on the CNT stage for the first time.
The conversation will focus on two works that explore two entirely different artistic worlds. Kazimir’s Colours, premiered in Stuttgart in 1996, is inspired by the art of Kazimir Malevich and Suprematism. Set to music by Dmitri Shostakovich, the geometry of the body and rhythm, together with lines, planes and colours, evoke Malevich’s abstract visual language. Rossini Cards, created in 2004 for the Italian dance company Aterballetto, takes its starting point from Gioachino Rossini’s music and his great passion for gastronomy. Without a rigid dramaturgical framework, Bigonzetti weaves together images and scenes from life, comic and absurd situations, intimate moments and dynamic ensemble scenes, viewing the world as a great feast.
The Theatre Breakfast will open up a discussion on the creation of the two ballets, the relationship between choreography, music and visual art, and the process of working with the Zagreb Ballet ensemble. The conversation will feature Mauro Bigonzetti, choreographer; Denis Matvienko, Artistic Director of the Ballet of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb; Carlo Cerri, set and lighting designer; Béatrice Mille and Roberto Zamorano, artists responsible for staging the choreography; and the CNT Ballet dancers Natalia Kosovac and Yuho Yoshioka, dancing in Kazimir’s Colours, and Lucija Radić Pálinkó and Iva Vitić Gameiro, dancing in Rossini Cards.
The conversation will be held in English and moderated by ballet mistress Iva Višak.
The event will feature a selection of music from Kazimir’s Colours / Rossini Cards.
The premiere of Kazimir’s Colours / Rossini Cards will take place on 2 October 2026 at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb.
