Ballet is a timeless art form; a constant no matter how times change. While Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre and St Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre are marking their 243rd and 236th seasons respectively, the comparatively youthful Bayerisches Staatsballett of Munich celebrates the 30th anniversary of its foundation in 2018. At da:ns festival 2018’s International Stars of Ballet, you’ll have the unique opportunity to catch renowned dancers who have danced with these and other great ballet companies in a single evening as they perform some of the most iconic ballet duets (or pas de deux) of all time. Here are six dancers to look out for.

Misa Kuranaga

Hailing from Osaka, Japan, Misa Kuranaga has performed with the Boston Ballet since 2003, becoming a principal dancer in 2009. In Singapore, she’ll perform two duets with fellow Boston Ballet principal dancer Lasha Khozashvili: the legendary pas de deux from Le Corsaire and Giselle.
 

Adiarys Almeida and Taras Domitro

Originally from Cuba, Adiarys Almeida is a free-spirited freelancer who has previously served as a principal dancer with the Cincinnati Ballet and Barcelona’s Corella Ballet, not forgetting a stint as a first soloist with the Boston Ballet. For International Stars of Ballet, she’ll pair up with fellow Cuba native – and fellow freelancer – Taras Domitro, formerly a principal dancer of the San Francisco Ballet, building on a partnership that began in 2008. Their duets here will be a pas de deux from Wunderland – featuring the choreography of Edwaard Liang, a familiar face in Singapore’s dance scene – and the wedding pas de deux from Don Quixote.
 

Svetlana Lunkina

Born in Moscow and a former principal dancer with the Bolshoi, Svetlana Lunkina has been a principal with the National Ballet of Canada since 2014. With Piotr Stancyzk, also a National Ballet of Canada principal dancer, she’ll interpret the famous balcony pas de deux from Romeo and Juliet, set to Sergei Prokofiev’s timeless score. The duo will then return to the stage for the Purple pas de deux from Terra Firma.
 

Igor Kolb

A veteran of more than 20 of the Mariinsky’s 236 seasons, Igor Kolb joined the company in 1996; becoming a soloist in 1998 before being promoted to principal dancer in 2003. In one of just two solos on the International Stars of Ballet programme, Kolb will perform Beginning, a work inspired by the Rene Magritte painting The Son of Man, to music by Erik Satie. He will follow this by dancing with Oksana Bondareva, guest artist with the Mariinsky as well as the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St Petersburg, in the instantly recognisable pas de deux set to Georges Bizet’s Carmen Suite.
 

Yonah Acosta

Learning his craft at the National Ballet School in his native Cuba, Yonah Acosta joined the Bayerisches Staatsballett as a principal dancer during its 2017/18 season after six years with the English National Ballet (including three years as a principal dancer). Acosta and fellow Bayerisches Staatsballett principal dancer Laurretta Summersales, who is also his wife, will perform two duets that highlight ballet’s roots in history and contemporary appeal: the pas de deux from Diana and Acteon, which dates back to 1935 (with origins in the late 19th century), and the pas de deux from Wayne McGregor’s 2014 work Kairos, originally commissioned by Ballett Zurich.

International Stars of Ballet takes place on Oct 19-20, 8pm, at the Esplanade Theatre. Tickets are available from $40. The full programme, dancers line-up, and tickets available here.