The National Opera and Ballet Theatre was opened on May 25 1933

The National Opera and Ballet Theatre was opened on May 25 1933. But its history began in 1920s on the stage of the National Drama theatre, that had the opera soloists, choral and ballet troupe and a small symphonic orchestra in its structure. Already then musical-drama performances, parts of operas and ballets were created and national music was played.

In 1920s future stars of belarussian opera and ballet were trained in Minsk, Vitebsk, Gomel technical schools. And also in National Studio of opera and ballet, created in 1930, that was headed by a famous singer by Anton Bonachich, who was formerly Shalyapins partner in performances in Mariinsky Theatre. For 3 working years professional actors were prepared and operas “Golden Cockerel”, “Carmen”, “Eugeny Onegin”, “Tsar’s Bride” were staged.

In 1933 in Minsk the National Opera and Ballet Theatre was opened with the performance “Carmen”. Belarus found its highly professional centre of musical-drama creativity and performing art, joined a European opera inheritance, and joined a world cultural progress.

The theatre building on the Trinity Hill was open on May 10 1939 with the premiere of the opera by belarussian composer Eugene Tsikotsky “Mihas Podgorny”, that was built by the project of a famous architect Iosif Langbard. The first ballet performance, showed in 1939 on stage of a new building, was “the Swan Lake” in production of Muller, who graduated from St. Petersburg’s choreographic college, who danced the leading parts in the biggest theatres of the country. The ballet troupe consisted of more than 100 people, whose professional preparation was pretty high.

During World War II (1941-1945) Belarus was occupied by the fascists. Minsk has undergone to the most severe bombardments in which result the city has been ruined. Many actors of theatre have left on front or have joined guerrilla movement. The theatre was evacuated in the Volga region Russia. Actors of different genres created front concert brigades and acted on a front line before soldiers of the Soviet Army. Right after the liberation of the capital the crew has returned to Minsk and in December, 1944 has opened a season a premiere of an opera of Evgenie Tikotskogo "Alesya".

This event has marked the revival of the National theatre of an opera of Belarus. After the renovation and reconstruction of a building of the theatre damaged by bombardment, theatre activity has renewed. Soon after that Opera and Ballet Theatre of Belarus was included into the number of recognized leaders on cultural space of the USSR.

In the former Soviet Union the theatre had steady reputation of one of the brightest and creatively viable opera collectives.  Such known conductors, as Onisim Bron, Vladimir Piradov, Lev Ljubimov, Tatyana Kolomijtseva, Yaroslav Voshchak, Vladimir Moshensky, Gennady Provatorov, Alexander Anisimov defined; directors Oleg Moralev, Dmitry Smolich, Jury Juzhentsev, Simeon Shtejn, Vyacheslav Tsjupa, Margarita Izvorska-Elizareva; artists Sergey Nikolaev, Evgenie Chemodurov, Ernest Gejdebreht, Evgenie Zhdan, Vyacheslav Okunev defined its high artistic level in different times.

The theatre repeatedly went on tour on the most prestigious stage of the former USSR – in the Bolshoi theatre in Moscow. Successful tours of 1940 have brought to theatre an honorary title "Big", 1964 – "academic".

In 50th years considerable achievements of the Belarussian ballet are connected, basically, with an embodiment of ballet classics – performances "Esmeralda" on Caesar Puni, "Giselle" and "Corsair" music by Adolf Adana's, "La Bayadere" by Ludwig Minkus. All ballets by Peter Tchaikovsky ("Swan lake", "the Sleeping beauty", "Nutcracker") have been staged.

The development of national tendencies in ballet are connected with creativity of composer Evgenie Glebov. On a theatre scene three ballets by him have been staged: "Dream", "the Alpine ballad" and "the Chosen one”.

The peculiarities of a plot of the ballet on a modern theme "Dream