St. Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre will organize the world's first 3D televised transmission of a ballet performance on April 15, a theatre spokesperson said on Monday.
Former Bolshoi theatre prima ballerina Maya Plisetskaya will open the unique televised gala concert, which will consist of the best ballet routines by Mariinsky theatre stars, including Ulyana Lopatkina, Irma Nioradze, Igor Zelensky, and Denis Matviyenko.
The St. Petersburg theatre's initiative continues efforts by its Moscow competitor, the Bolshoi Theatre, to use new technology to give the public wider access to their renowned performances.
The Bolshoi Theatre said in March it would show its ballets on European cinema screens in real time. The first shows of the Flames of Paris ballet were to be hosted by some 150 cinemas, mainly in France, on the last day of March.
However, it is still unclear how many people will be able to watch the transmission organized by the Mariinsky Theatre, as first sales of 3D TV sets in Russia were expected to start only in April, with their prices ranging from some 85,000 rubles ($2,900) to 100,000 rubles ($3,400). The expected price of 3D glasses on the Russian market reaches 3,000 rubles ($100).
The Mariinsky Theatre's 3D project comes during the Year of France in Russia and Russia in France. The theatre's spokesperson said the Russian embassy in France will host a special reception dedicated to the show.
ST. PETERSBURG, April 5 (RIA Novosti)
