The ballet premiere at the Mariinsky Theatre is Leonid Yakobson's "Brilliant Divertissement"

On June 18 and 20, 2026, the Mariinsky Theatre premiered Leonid Yakobson's one-act ballet ""Brilliant Divertissement"" to music by Glinka. The Mariinsky Theatre Company performed the ballet for the first time. Musical Director: Valery Gergiev. Set Designer: Mikhail Sapozhnikov, Lighting Designer: Alexander Naumov, Costume Designer: Anna Yakushchenko. The ever-inventive Leonid Yakobson spared his dancers nothing, creating choreography of dazzling complexity and almost puzzle-like intricacy. The production has already marked its fiftieth anniversary, yet even today few soloists can master its elaborate combinations. In this witty journey to an old-time ball, dancers must not only display the full brilliance of classical technique but also sustain the ironic affectation of manners conceived by this choreographer of boundless imagination.