The performance, scheduled to begin at 8pm, will be staged in the Main Auditorium, with doors opening at 7.30pm. Tickets start from AED395, and the event is being presented by M Premiere and MuzArts as a third-party venue hire rather than a Dubai Opera-produced show.
The evening is led by Svetlana Zakharova, the Bolshoi Theatre prima ballerina and étoile of Teatro alla Scala, who returns to the Dubai stage with a cast drawn from the Bolshoi Theatre. The programme is designed as a double bill, opening with Come Un Respiro, or Like a Breath, before moving into Gabrielle Chanel, the work that gives the night its fashion-driven centrepiece.
Come Un Respiro was created for Zakharova by Italian choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti and is set to music by George Frideric Handel. The work draws on Baroque influences in both sound and movement, while costumes by Helena de Medeiros shape its visual identity. Its placement at the start of the evening gives the programme a classical foundation before the narrative turns towards Chanel’s life and legacy.
Gabrielle Chanel is a collaboration between choreographer Yury Possokhov and composer Ilya Demutsky, with Alexei Frandetti credited for the libretto and direction. The ballet follows Chanel’s rise from provincial singer to the head of one of the most influential fashion houses of the 20th century, using movement as a language of freedom, restraint, ambition and transformation.
The production’s main draw is its direct connection to the Chanel aesthetic. More than 80 costumes were created for the ballet by the CHANEL Fashion House studio under artistic direction associated with Virginie Viard, giving the work a rare position between stage performance and couture archive. The result is expected to appeal not only to ballet audiences but also to Dubai’s fashion, design and luxury sectors.
MODANSE first appeared at the Bolshoi Theatre in June 2019 and has since travelled to international stages, positioning Zakharova as both performer and cultural interpreter of the Chanel story. The Dubai presentation comes as the city continues to expand its performing arts calendar beyond orchestral concerts, touring musicals and popular entertainment, with ballet occupying a more prominent place in premium cultural programming.
Dubai Opera’s programming for the 2025-26 season has placed classical and crossover performances alongside concerts, theatre and regional entertainment, reflecting the venue’s role as one of the city’s main cultural anchors. MODANSE sits within that wider push to attract international productions with established artistic names and strong brand associations.
The event also underlines the growing market for one-night prestige performances in Dubai, where producers can target residents, visitors and high-spending cultural tourists in a single evening format. The model allows promoters to bring costly touring productions without committing to long runs, while venues benefit from programming that broadens their artistic profile.
Entry rules reflect Dubai Opera’s standard performance policy. Children aged six and above require a ticket, while those under six are not permitted inside the Main Auditorium. Latecomers will not be admitted once the performance has begun and may only enter during the intermission, where applicable. Guests are also expected to follow the venue’s dress code, which discourages shorts, flip-flops and overly casual attire.
The performance is expected to run for about two hours, including the interval. Its staging on 17 May gives Dubai audiences access to a ballet work shaped around a globally recognised fashion figure at a time when the city is increasingly positioning itself as a destination for culture-led tourism, luxury events and international stage productions.
Follow Arabian Post
Select Arabian Post as your preferred source on Google and MSN News for trusted business news and Arab politics and updates.
