Caracalla troupe to bring 'One Thousand and One Nights' to Moscow's Bolshoi Theater

BEIRUT — “We are preparing to offer Russians a show like they have never seen before,” says Abdel Halim Caracalla, as Lebanon’s famed dance-theater troupe announces it will bring its masterpiece “One Thousand and One Nights” to Moscow’s historic Bolshoi Theatre for the first time.

In the solemn setting of Beirut’s National Library in Sanayeh, with Culture Minister Ghassan Salameh in attendance, the legendary Caracalla troupe unveiled the news of a milestone in its more than half-century journey. The production is being presented in collaboration with the Chekhov Foundation in the Russian capital.

From July 23 to 25, across three evenings, the troupe will transport Moscow audiences into the fantastical world of “One Thousand and One Nights,” blending dreamlike Eastern imagery with stunning choreography, dazzling costumes and a symphony of colors, set to the music of Rimsky-Korsakov and Maurice Ravel.

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The event is historic. The Bolshoi, one of the world’s most iconic temples of the performing arts, has never before hosted an Arab troupe. For the first time, Eastern dance, music and poetry will meet Russian classical grandeur on this stage.

For Caracalla, a pioneer of Arab dance theater, the performance is more than a show. It reflects a deeper mission. “Since its beginnings, Caracalla Theatre’s mission has been to establish new creative reference points, heralding a profound transformation in the Arab East. It is committed to reviving cultural and intellectual values that embody the aspirations of our Arab youth for a universal culture oriented toward the future,” he said.

“But our desire to live in step with our times matches our commitment to our authentic heritage: so that the past remains alive in the consciousness of the present, inscribed in the collective unconscious of its people, its lands, its traditions and customs,” he added.

It is a vision he has upheld consistently throughout a career forged amid Lebanon’s turbulence. “I have tried to produce the finest theatrical works I could, to place Lebanon’s name on the map of global dramatic art. I have also sought to promote an Arab cultural message on the greatest international stages, through our world tours, to challenge a time that tries to erase us,” Caracalla said.

This unprecedented appearance at the Bolshoi represents, in his view, “a brilliant chapter in the history of Arab culture and in Lebanon’s glory.”

Meanwhile, “One Thousand and One Nights” continues to run at Caracalla Theatre in Sin al-Fil until the end of August for those who wish to experience this choreographed Eastern dream closer to home.

Caracalla au Bolchoï : « Mille et une nuits » sous les étoiles de Moscou