Gazprom and GDF SUEZ sponsor The Rite of Spring performance

Gazprom together with GDF SUEZ acted as the exclusive sponsors of The Rite of Spring ballet staged by the Mariinsky Theatre troupe under the direction of Valery Gergiev in the Theatre des Champs Elysees in Paris from May 29 to 31, 2013. The cultural event coincided with the 30th anniversary of the third – largest-ever – Contract for Russian natural gas supply to France.

In 2013 Theatre des Champs Elysees is celebrating its centenary. Moreover, one hundred years ago, on May 29, 1913 a premiere of The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky with settings by Nikolai Rerikh and choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky took place there as part of Sergey Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. Today The Rite of Spring is one of the iconic ballet scores of the 20th century.

On each of the three evenings a 21st century nouveaute – The Rite of Spring staged by Sasha Waltz – was performed together with the version by Vaslav Nijinsky. A premiere of this performance was shown in the New Theatre (Mariinsky II) on May 13, 2013.

On May 29 a half-hour flashmob featuring the creative group of Theatre des Champs Elysees and students of French theater schools took place before the performance in the square in front of the theatre.

Attending the opening night were Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee Gerard Mestrallet, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of GDF SUEZ, Alexander Orlov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to France, representatives of the Russian and French business communities as well as arts and culture professionals.

Participation in such a project is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the third Contract for Russian natural gas supply to France as a milestone event in the relationships between the two companies against the background of the richest cultural heritage as well as to open new prospects for cooperation and strengthen mutual understanding and friendly ties.