Zagreb Ballet Opens the New Season with Mauro Bigonzetti’s Contemporary Choreographies: “Kazimir’s Colours” and “Rossini Cards” Presented to Zagreb Audiences for the FBallet — 18. September 2026.
The Ballet of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb opens its 2026/2027 season with an encounter with one of the most prominent figures in contemporary Italian ballet. The double bill Kazimir’s Colours /Rossini Cards, choreographed by Mauro Bigonzetti, will premiere on 2 October at 7:30 p.m. on the stage of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, marking the first time Bigonzetti’s works enter the repertoire of the Zagreb Ballet.
The Zagreb premiere is made particularly significant by Mauro Bigonzetti’s visit to Zagreb, where the choreographer will be present during the production process and the first performances of his works with the Ballet ensemble of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb.
“I am particularly pleased that we are opening the new ballet season with this production and introducing Zagreb audiences to Mauro Bigonzetti’s distinctive artistic voice in an evening that brings together music, movement and contemporary dance expression in a unique way,” said Dr Iva Hraste Sočo, General Manager of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb.
For Denis Matvienko, Ballet Director of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, who during his distinguished international dance career performed with some of the world’s leading ballet companies, including the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Paris Opera and American Ballet Theatre, the encounter with Bigonzetti’s work also has a personal artistic dimension. Matvienko collaborated with the Italian choreographer during his own career as a dancer, and the choice of Bigonzetti’s works for the first premiere of the season therefore connects his international dance experience with the artistic direction he seeks to develop in Zagreb.
Ahead of the premiere, Matvienko said: “Mauro Bigonzetti is an artist whose work I came to know as a dancer, and it is particularly important to me that we are now opening the ballet season with his works. I believe this production will offer our dancers a valuable artistic challenge and our audiences a new experience of contemporary ballet.”
Mauro Bigonzetti – A Distinctive Figure in Contemporary International Ballet
Mauro Bigonzetti is one of the most important Italian choreographers of his generation. After ten years at the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, he joined the dance company Aterballetto, where he collaborated with a number of leading choreographers and gradually developed his own distinctive artistic language. From 1997 to 2007, he served as Artistic Director of Aterballetto, renewing both the company and its repertoire.
He began choreographing in 1990, and over the past decades his works have entered the repertoires of numerous international ballet companies and theatres. His choreographic language is characterised by a strong connection between movement and music, physical energy, pronounced theatricality and visual expression, as well as an ability to open classical ballet technique towards contemporary dance.
For the first time, Zagreb audiences will have the opportunity to discover two different yet complementary facets of his work.
The preview performance on 1 October will take place as part of the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Agreement between the Republic of Croatia and the Italian Republic on Minority Rights, while the premiere will be held on 2 October at 7:30 p.m. The production is presented in partnership with the Embassy of the Italian Republic in the Republic of Croatia, Università Popolare di Trieste and Unione Italiana, further highlighting the artistic and cultural ties between Croatia and Italy.
Following the premiere, Kazimir’s Colours / Rossini Cards will also be performed on 3, 5, 9 and 10 October 2026.
