Nikita Korneyev and Alexandra Khiteeva made their debut in the ballet The Little Humpbacked Horse

On October 23, 2025, on the New Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre, the ballet by Rodion Shchedrin "Konyok-Gorbunok" (The Little Humpbacked Horse) was performed, featuring the debuts of Nikita Korneyev (Ivan the Fool), Alexandra Khiteeva (The Tsar-Maiden), as well as the debut of corps de ballet artist Nikita Zakharov (The Little Humpbacked Horse). The ballet is based on the fairy tale of the same name by Pyotr Yershov. The libretto author and stage designer of the production is Maxim Isaev. The performance of the ballet was dedicated to the memory of the composer Rodion Shchedrin. "The music for the ballet «The Little Humpbacked Horse» is my early, very early work. But it is a milestone work, important for my creative self-affirmation, defining much in my life. It is the work on which I 'caught' in my musician’s hands the otherworldly Firebird - Maya Plisetskaya. This score is dedicated to her…" - said Rodion Konstantinovich himself. In the video presented, soloists of the Mariinsky Theatre ballet company, Alexandra Khiteeva and Nikita Korneyev, talk about the characters they portray, the nuances of contemporary choreography, and possible performance challenges.