Kathmandu, August 19: Russian ballet artist Ekaterina Chernykh, a prominent figure in contemporary Russian ballet and a performer associated with the Bolshoi Theatre, is set to perform alongside Nepali dancers in Kathmandu as part of the annual Rhythm and Soul cultural programme.

Organized by Sushila Arts Academy (SAA), the programme will be held on August 31 at the D.A.V. Auditorium (Budha Hall) in Kathmandu. This year’s edition is being organized to commemorate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and Nepal.

The Rhythm and Soul project, which combines theatre and ballet, was first staged in 2013 and has been organized annually since then. The initiative has emerged as a longstanding platform for cultural exchange between Russia and Nepal, providing Nepali dancers with opportunities to learn from and perform alongside Russian ballet professionals.

As part of this year’s programme, the Russian House in Kathmandu will also host ballet master classes on August 29 at its premises in Kamal Pokhari. The sessions will bring together Nepali choreography teachers and young dancers of different age groups.

Chernykh, who will lead the master classes, is a professional ballerina, teacher, coach, choreographer and director. She has created more than 50 productions and over 300 choreographic miniatures covering classical ballet, jazz, neoclassical and modern dance.

A graduate of the Rostov Choreographic College, a branch of the Moscow State Academy of Choreography, Chernykh participated in the reopening of the Bolshoi Theatre’s main stage in 2011. She has performed with the Moscow Ballet of Classical Choreography and toured more than 70 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, China and several countries in Latin America.

The programme is being organized by Sushila Arts Academy, founded in 2012 in memory of Sushila Koirala, wife of Nepal’s first democratically elected Prime Minister B. P. Koirala and a noted Nepali dancer and theatre director. Led by Yulia Koirala, the academy offers training in music, dance, visual art and theatre, including a ballet school with a certified curriculum and professional instructors.

The Russian House in Kathmandu has been a longstanding partner of the Rhythm and Soul project. The two institutions have previously collaborated on productions including Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull and drama classes conducted at the Russian House.

According to the organizers, the decision to hold this year’s programme in school venues is aimed at making the performances and educational activities more accessible to young audiences. The organizers said the master classes are also intended to strengthen the professional capacity of Nepali ballet and choreography teachers while fostering long-term cultural cooperation between Russia and Nepal.

Russia and Nepal established diplomatic relations in 1956. Over the past seven decades, hundreds of Nepali students have received education in the Soviet Union and Russia, while cultural and humanitarian initiatives have contributed to strengthening people-to-people ties between the two countries.

The organizers said the 2026 edition of Rhythm and Soul will build on this history by bringing Russian classical ballet and Nepali performing arts together on a common stage during the 70th anniversary year of bilateral diplomatic relations.