Almaty – As part of the celebrations marking the centenary of Giacomo Puccini, Puccini Dance Circus Opera arrives in Almaty, a performance for a “chorus of bodies and instruments” by the Compagnia blucinQue, directed by stage director and choreographer Caterina Mochi Sismondi. Scheduled for the 19^th of February at the Abay Opera House, the production represents a significant milestone in its international journey. A special co-production with the Abay Theatre brings together the resident Kazakh orchestra and Italian performers – dancers, acrobats, musicians and actors – in a truly collaborative endeavour. The evening offers a boldly contemporary creation that weaves together opera, symphonic music, live electronics, dance, theatre and contemporary circus. Five iconic figures from Puccini’s universe – Manon Lescaut, Mimì, Tosca, Madama Butterfly and Turandot – are reinterpreted through a female chorus of bodies, at once powerful and fragile, capable of turning movement itself into dramaturgy. Winner of the Culture+Business Award 2024–2025 in the Art Business Bonus category, the production has appeared on some of Europe’s most prestigious stages – from the Teatro Verdi to the Teatro Regio, from the Caracalla Festival to the Italian Cultural Institutes of Brussels, Madrid and Paris. It now arrives in Almaty “not merely as another tour date, but as a living manifesto of a new chapter in Italian–Kazakh relations”, commented Italy’s Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Antonello De Riu. “This bold fusion of opera, contemporary dance and circus becomes a tangible means of fostering encounter, mutual understanding and friendship between nations”. “We are proud to support a multidisciplinary work of outstanding quality, one that powerfully conveys the vitality of contemporary Italian creativity”, added Edoardo Crisafulli, Director of the Italian Cultural Institute in Almaty. “I am also particularly pleased that this year the Institute, working in close synergy with our Embassy, has chosen to give special prominence and strong backing to the prestigious Abay Theatre, where further high-profile Italian–Kazakh productions and co-productions will be staged in the course of the year. Since my arrival at the end of 2023, I have been struck by the dynamism of the theatre’s leadership. As the oldest theatre in Kazakhstan, it attracts a wide-ranging audience, including many young people – a dynamism further strengthened under its new direction”.