The production team behind the ballet Anna Karenina has revealed that, just over two weeks after ticket sales opened, more than 4,000 tickets for five performances in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have completely sold out. As a result, organizers have added a special additional show to meet demand.

The ballet, performed by the Eifman Ballet of Saint Petersburg, Russia, is scheduled to run at the Ho Chi Minh City Opera House on November 27, 28, and 29, and at the Vietnam-Soviet Friendship Cultural Palace in Hanoi on December 3, 4, and 5.

Nguyen Bao Anh, Artistic Director of the Saigon Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO), a co-organizer of the event, shared: “When we saw the number of tickets booked by the public, we truly recognized the awakening of art appreciation among Vietnamese audiences and a bright cultural future. The support of numerous sponsors allowed us to bring this internationally acclaimed ballet to Vietnam at accessible ticket prices, even though the costs of organizing such a major international tour are enormous.”

From an organizational perspective, Pham Ha Linh, the program’s Communications Director, said: “We were truly surprised by the love Vietnamese audiences have shown for high-level ballet. Some bought tickets as a gift for parents who studied in the former Soviet Union. Others are already preparing velvet áo dài for the December shows. A group of nearly 20 seniors in their 80s even arranged to go together. These stories have deeply touched our entire team.”
The Eifman Ballet’s Anna Karenina makes its Vietnam debut with all shows quickly sold out. Photo: Organizing Committee

Choreographed by Boris Eifman, Anna Karenina is based on the classic novel of the same name by Lev Tolstoy and premiered in 2005. The ballet centers on the love triangle of Anna, Karenin, and Vronsky, portraying the tragic fate of a woman who longs for love and freedom and dares to defy rigid social norms, only to suffer harsh consequences.

Through expressive body language, the stirring music of Tchaikovsky, and Eifman’s emotionally charged choreography, Anna Karenina has become one of the signature works of the Eifman Ballet.

Founded in 1977 in Saint Petersburg, the Eifman Ballet is internationally renowned for its psychological ballet style, where movement becomes a language of deep emotional expression. The company has toured major venues in Paris, New York, Moscow, and Sydney and has been praised by international critics as a theatrical phenomenon of its time.

This marks the first time the Eifman Ballet has performed in Vietnam, offering local audiences a rare opportunity to experience the pinnacle of contemporary ballet on home soil.

Tinh Le