There has not been a young artist of promise to capture and hold audiences’ attention on the horizon of the ballet of Burgas for quite a while now. The performance of an unknown to me ballet dancer as the Fool appealed to me in a show of Swan Lake[1]. His was a definitely arresting presence showing consummate artistry, plasticity and good technical ballet skills. This role, in which once departed Grisha Roglev excelled, is dynamic and imbued with varied and, I should say, quite intricate choreographic vocabulary.

Daniel Tichkov’s was a brilliant delivery of the character of the Fool. He proved to be of the new crop of dancers in Burgs ballet company. The boy impresses with his good posture, his turning technique, being also good and expressive in the leaps. He has the technicity and artistry I’ve witnessed on many occasions in ballet shows in Saint Petersburg. All along his performance as the Fool, Daniel Tichkov was close to the original or at least to my idea of it.

While watching Cinderella[2], he surprised me as the Prince. Cinderella in the rendering of Burgas ballet company was a nicely interpreted, choreographically redacted ballet tale, evincing an aesthetical synthesis of various redactions. The effect was heightened by the wonderful delivery of Vesa Tonova as Cinderella and the expected powerful and stable performance of Galina Kalcheva as the Fairy Godmother.

Meeting Daniel after the show was a pleasant surprise. What I saw were eyes wide open, artistic in a ballet fashion that have apparently predetermined the career of the young dancer. He emanated pleasure at his well-done job and thirst for more. I believe that Burgas has now at long last a young, talented promising dancer! A real Little Prince[3] has made a comeback onstage in Burgas

Daniel told me that it was his granny who was behind the idea of his taking to ballet. He was born in 1994, in Sofia. He went to the National School of Dance Arts, Sofia when he turned 10. Until his eighth grade he was far from fascinated with the long hours of difficult, monotonous and even dull at times exercises at the ballet school, but back then he managed to conquer his weaker self and after mastering the basics he came to realise that ballet was his thing. Thus he stepped on the long road to art. He was second in Atanas Petrov National Ballet Competition 2011. A year later, he completed his studies and danced lead roles in Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet for Ruse Opera House. He had tens of roles at Stefan Makedonsky National Musical Theatre, Sofia and Stara Zagora Opera House.

I do believe that Daniel will play all the lead roles in Burgas for he is up to it. A ballet dancer ought to play all the time to hone his skills and build further his characters. It takes a lot of work and excellent shape to be in good condition, allowing reaching their peak.

Burgas prima ballerina Galina Kalcheva is an excellent example of a successful career. The repertoire of the company has relied on her for years now and she has played all the lead and/or title roles. Owing to her vary hard work, ambitiousness, perseverance and stamina,, she has kept her position of a principle dancer of Burgas company, but I am only too well aware of what it costs her! The stage of Burgas had seen a whole bunch of ballerinas, but how many of those came to stay?

I’d be happy now, when a young man and an interesting artist, an aspiring soloist has come, to see him encouraged and buoyed up by the Opera’s management. Artists are generally a thin-skinned and vulnerable lot, their souls and hearts work differently. Young hopefuls need caring approach to realise their full potential. To keep young actors in the company means to lend them support and wings.

May this Little Prince, who appeared on the stage of Burgas ballet company, play all possible princes there taking the audiences closer to the beauty of dance and ballet art and sharing his love for this art, which is the love of his life.

Because ‘what is essential is invisible to the eye,’ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote and may we experience this through Daniel!

[1] Swan Lake by Tchaikovsky, choreographed by Hikmet Mehmedov after M. Petipa, premiered in Burgas on 30 May.2016.

[2]  Cinderella by Prokofiev; choreographed by Hikmet Mehmedov, performed in Burgas on 27 March 2017.

[3] The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry is a story emblematic of spirituality and rethinking the important things in life in a new way.