Abstract
The paper is dedicated to the investigationofcontemporarybiographical ballet withspecial referenceto the ballet “December Rain”of Kristina Paulin premiered at the “Astana Ballet” Theatre in 2024. It investigates the principal featuresofchoreographic and musical language of the performance, as well as traditioncontinuityofJohn Neumeier and the genre development tendencies of the21stce ntury. The structure of the performance, its retrospectivecomposition and incorporationof elements ofpostdramatictheater,immersive techniques and the naturalistic portrayalof characters are analyzed. Special attention is givento the interactionbetween Frédéric Chopin’s music and contemporarysonicenvironment,which creates a multilayered emotional space as a whole. A newmodelof ballet storytelling is revealedthrough intertextuality and multilingual nature of its artistic means, turning the dance intoa f ormo f cultural memory. The study demonstratesthat biographical ballet in the 21st century is evolvingtowardprofoundpsychologicaldepth and genuine emotionalexpressiveness. In this context, “December Rain” highlights the relevanceof synthesizing tradition and innovationaffirming ballet as a living art ofthe contemporaryworld.The paper investigatescontemporarybiographical ballet through the case of Kristina Paulin’s “December Rain”, premiered at the “Astana Ballet” Theatre in 2024. The study examines the choreographic and musical language of the production and traces the continuityofJohnNeumeier’straditionwithin the genre’s current development. The structure of the ballet, its retrospectivecomposition, and the use ofpostdramaticelements,immersive techniques and naturalistic character portrayal are considered.Particular attention is givento the interactionbetween Frédéric Chopin’s music and the contemporarysonicenvironment. The research applies analytical,comparative, cultural-historical,semiotic and intertextual methods. The noveltyof the study lies in offering the firstcomprehensiveexaminationof “December Rain” in the contextof 21st-century biographicalballet. The findings may be of practical relevancetochoreographers and researchers exploringcontemporaryapproachestonarrative and expressive strategies in ballet. The results demonstrate that the genre is movingtoward greater psychologicaldepth and emotionalnuance,with “December Rain”exemplifying this shift.