Theatre Breakfast Held Ahead of the First Ballet Premiere of the Season: “Kazimir’s Colours / Rossini Cards” to Premiere on FridayBallet — 29. September 2026.
On 28 September 2026, the foyer of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb hosted a Theatre Breakfast dedicated to the first ballet premiere of the season, Mauro Bigonzetti’s Kazimir’s Colours / Rossini Cards, by one of Italy’s leading choreographers and most prominent figures of the contemporary European ballet scene.
Mauro Bigonzetti is one of the leading figures of contemporary Italian and European choreography. During his many years as Artistic Director and resident choreographer of the Aterballetto dance company, Bigonzetti developed a distinctive choreographic style that combines strong physicality, musical precision and a remarkable sense of theatricality. His choreographies have been part of the repertoires of leading ballet companies around the world for decades, and he will make his first appearance before Zagreb audiences with two works that represent different stages of his artistic development. All subsequent performances sold out days before the premiere, reflecting the exceptional interest of Croatian audiences in Mauro Bigonzetti’s work and his first collaboration with the CNT Ballet ensemble.
The ballet Kazimir’s Colours, premiered in Stuttgart in 1996, was a major milestone in Bigonzetti’s international career, propelling the artist into the ranks of leading European choreographers. Inspired by the art of Kazimir Malevich and Suprematism, the ballet, set to music by Dmitri Shostakovich, creates an evocative world of geometric shapes, lines, planes and colours, transforming an abstract visual language into powerful and meticulous stage movement.
The ballet Rossini Cards was created for Aterballetto in 2004. Following its great success with numerous Italian ballet companies, it has been performed countless times around the world to equal acclaim and has become one of Bigonzetti’s best-known, most frequently performed and most popular works with audiences. Inspired by the music of Gioachino Rossini, his temperament, vitality and well-known passion for gastronomy, Bigonzetti’s choreography creates a kind of dance feast through witty, absurd, intimate and dynamic scenes. Each “card” is a world of its own on stage, while their combination creates a playful and theatrical whole infused with virtuosity, humour and a Mediterranean spirit.
Particular attention during the discussion was devoted to the work with the CNT Ballet ensemble. Bigonzetti and the artists involved in setting the choreographies highlighted the exceptional quality of the Zagreb dancers, their dedication, musicality and openness to the specific choreographic process.
“It is fantastic to work with this ensemble. The dancers are incredible, and it is a real pleasure to participate in the creative process with them,” Mauro Bigonzetti said. Béatrice Mille, who, together with Roberto Zamorano, is involved in setting the choreographies, expressed her enthusiasm for working with the Zagreb dancers and their understanding of Bigonzetti’s distinctive choreographic language.
“We are delighted to open the new ballet season with Mauro Bigonzetti’s choreographies. His productions are now performed on the stages of the most prestigious ballet companies in Europe and around the world. This ballet evening reaffirms our strong commitment to international collaboration and bringing leading artistic figures to Zagreb, but above all, it gives our ensemble the opportunity to engage with a distinctive and highly demanding choreographic language. I believe audiences will recognise the artistic strength and contemporary relevance of these two creations,” Dr Iva Hraste Sočo, General Manager and Artistic Director of the CNT in Zagreb said.
The creation of the two choreographies and the work with the Zagreb Ballet ensemble brought together choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti, Artistic Director of the CNT Zagreb Ballet Denis Matvienko, set and lighting designer Carlo Cerri, the artists responsible for setting the choreographies, Béatrice Mille and Roberto Zamorano, and members of the CNT Zagreb Ballet ensemble Natalia Kosovac, Yuho Yoshioka, Lucija Radić Pálinkó and Iva Vitić Gameiro. Ballet master Iva Višak moderated the discussion.
The Theatre Breakfast gave audiences an insight into the new ballet production and an opportunity to learn more about the artistic world of a choreographer whose works have been performed for decades on the stages of some of the world’s most prestigious ballet companies.
Kazimir’s Colours / Rossini Cards will premiere on 2 October 2026 at 7:30 p.m. at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb.
