Ahead of the festival, Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva was welcomed in India.She was given a tour of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre.<figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/255/d91/255d91ece7011f7ffa7f0a34a1ddfa02.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/409/103/409103c01ffd81e689e76586cac33eab.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/e63/c02/e63c028f7c0ff6f7abd87cb1a2cbe576.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/a35/77b/a3577b9ac29285153dbeb6d7ead2236d.jpg"></figure>

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The Alina Festival

Ahead of the festival, the Olympic champion was welcomed in India.

Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva visited the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in India

Who is creating the Alina 2026 Festival? Behind this vibrant show are people who merge different art forms and help participants express themselves in a new way.Their approach, experience, and creative signature shape the artistic world of the Alina festival.Meet the festival's choreographers and staging directors — Irina Zenovka and Aleksandr Mogilev.Read the cards to learn more about the people behind the choreographic part of the show:<figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/cd2/4ed/cd24ed7d359f7eaf1decb298b6447ff7.jpg"><figcaption>Irina Zenovka Choreographer‑director of the 2026 Alina festival — Honored Coach of Russia, choreographer for the Russian national rhythmic gymnastics team.&nbsp; — Has been working on productions for the Alina festival since 2009.&nbsp; — Participated in the production of the routines “Heroes of the Rear”, “Flowers”, “Courage. A Warrior Named Zoya”, “Heroes of Sport” for the Alina‑2025 festival. What else in interesting - She performed for the USSR national team in group exercises.&nbsp; - Since 1996, she has been creating programs for gymnasts on the Russian national team.&nbsp; - Her mentor was Dmitry Begak, a soloist at the Bolshoi Theatre. "I’m so happy to be working with everyone; I’m really enjoying it."</figcaption></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/be0/ecc/be0ecc5b3ca56a2710fbc7c313d23440.jpg"><figcaption>Alexander Mogilev&nbsp; Choreographer‑director of the 2026 Alina festival — Choreographer, dancer, artistic director and director of “ETO,” a Russian contemporary dance company.&nbsp; — Winner of the TV project “Dance” on Channel One, laureate of the “Soul of Dance” award.&nbsp; — Has been working on productions for the Alina festival since 2025.&nbsp; — Participated in the production of the pieces “Young Guard” and “Swallows. Heroes of the Siege” for the Alina‑2025 festival. What else in interesting — A member of the jury for the “Big and Small” project on the Russia‑Culture TV channel, a member of the jury for the “ARABESQUE” ballet competition.&nbsp; —&nbsp;Founder and director of the Russian contemporary dance festival “PROBA No.” and the “Man the Dancing” competition‑award for contemporary choreography. "My task is to preserve the girls’ individuality while ensuring that everything runs smoothly and, at the same time, that their full potential is showcased."</figcaption></figure>

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Behind this vibrant show are people who merge different art forms and help participants express themselves in a new way.

Who is creating the Alina 2026 Festival?

Costume designer Elena Litvinenko spoke about creating stage outfits for the 2026 Alina festival:<blockquote>"About 100 costumes for the festival. First, we tailored the leotards for everyone, because it's impossible to finish one costume from start to finish all at once. We made the leotards first, then the skirts for everyone. But on average, if you calculate it per costume, it probably takes about two days. Many details, a lot of trim, and lots of crystals. In other words, they are all going to shine, sparkle, and shimmer."</blockquote>Она поделилась деталями создания костюмов действующих лиц:<blockquote>"Ivan's costume turned out to be the most intricately painted. It needs to look completely radiant for us. It features both hand-painting and crystals. And perhaps, it is likely to be the most labor-intensive one in terms of painting. The Firebird skirt is more of a prop than a skirt, actually. We tentatively called it the Firebird skirt, but it's actually a stage prop that cannot be assembled in Moscow; it has to be set up right at the venue provided to us."</blockquote>Также Елена отметила помощь индийских коллег:<blockquote>"We are very grateful to the Indian side for providing us with such wonderful helpers who are giving us invaluable assistance. They are all so friendly and responsive, doing everything and eagerly taking on whatever we ask them to do. Our task is to make the costumes as beautiful and spectacular as possible to create a real sensation."</blockquote>

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She explained how much time goes into crafting these stage costumes and how Indian colleagues have been assisting the Russian team.

Costume designer Elena Litvinenko speaks about creating stage outfits for the 2026 Alina festival

The Alina festival is being held in Asia and staged within a theater setting for the first time. A team of Russian and Indian specialists is collaborating to address technical challenges and prepare the stage for the show, step by step.Technical Director Georgy Nechuneev explained how the festival stage in Mumbai is built:<blockquote>"This festival is taking place in Asia for the first time, and for the first time on a theater stage. So usually, we build a large venue from scratch. It is either a kind of a sports center or a pavilion. This time, it's an actual theater, a ready-made venue with an orchestra pit. We develop the full terms of reference, discuss the possibilities, and determine whether something is doable or not. When we are told that yes, it's possible, we try it, and then we begin to move forward step by step, building up the festival technically. Our video engineer communicates with the host side's video engineer. So, we discuss certain processes right in the course of the installation itself. Translators are helping us. Plus, the technical language, it is something we understand. Sometimes yes, it is enough to show a couple of words, and everything becomes clear right away."</blockquote>The specialist shared the details of the installation of the main set piece — a large circle that will move in different directions:<blockquote>"Right now, the assembly of the circle is underway. This is the main piece of the scenery. The circle consists of two segments that will move apart to the left and right, as well as move up and down. Right now it is all being set up."</blockquote>

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The speacialist explained the installation of the main set piece, a large circle designed to move in various directions.

Technical Director Georgy Nechuneev speaks about creating the stage for the 2026 Alina festival in Mumbai

A rehearsal of the Alina festival took place in India.On October 29, a show inspired by Igor Stravinsky’s ballet "The Firebird" will be held in Mumbai.<figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/942/1e7/9421e7ea48ec03093dfdecfddfbd58c4.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/ff9/239/ff9239934ea0cecf5518d6f33227472d.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/4a5/f97/4a5f971fece131fd01edeed5e9003177.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/2bc/541/2bc541d21edd98a62dfb6b7618bc611e.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/e58/c49/e58c497a2b677b1b94c72ffe3534344a.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/914/525/914525a14f4c0e46136572a5554c0ae5.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/0cd/495/0cd495141f9d4969c86db61bcce05b0d.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/b38/e48/b38e484deb9c3ff122f6b47ae0f1d091.jpg"></figure>

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On October 29, a show inspired by Igor Stravinsky’s ballet "The Firebird" will be held in Mumbai.

A rehearsal of the Alina festival took place in India

The stage preparations underway at The Grand Theatre in Mumbai, which will host the Alina festival on October 29.Experts from both countries are working on the venue, Russian and Indian teams have joined forces to prepare the sets for this international show.<figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/1a4/bca/1a4bcaee32471c698c5d530ef6fc2147.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/00d/54b/00d54bcb0148bbda7eacef14b557fcac.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/7bb/3f2/7bb3f20c318e46670782dd2c2a05661c.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/6b4/e03/6b4e031100efe644d534c931e5c28aa9.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/a81/59e/a8159ecae497e25f5638da443895b889.jpg"></figure>

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On October 29, the  Alina festival will take place at The Grand Theatre in Mumbai.

The stage preparations underway at The Grand Theatre in Mumbai

We’ve put together in the cards the core highlights that make the festival so vibrant, inspiring, and memorable.<img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/c13/b13/c13b1363af1cc45974c1f08293de6abf.jpg"> <img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/46f/624/46f6246b9ed96b399913ec617afc5acd.jpg"> <img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/ea7/ee3/ea7ee3cb727677a351b2e56d9bb69ef8.jpg"> <img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/fff/ce6/fffce610aee23fb59bf4ef4373e5b89e.jpg"> <img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/804/a35/804a350f6a2e77ab326de7c6dfd4eae0.jpg"> <img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/0d4/003/0d40031d736a1204cb9185668b9629e7.jpg">

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We’ve put together in the cards the core highlights of the Alina Festival.

What is the Alina Festival?

Silver medalist in the AEON Cup all-around Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg told us about her impressions of the world club championship and also shared reminiscences of performing at the tournament last year.&nbsp;<blockquote>"I am so happy! I am so happy that our team won. By the way, I’d like to note that our very first international tournament as the Russian team was right here in Japan, at the AEON Cup. And now, a year later, we came back, and we managed to win as a whole team. Back then, it was our first international competition, and I was incredibly nervous and worried. But now, I could say it’s the final international event of the season, so I didn't feel that level of intense anxiety."</blockquote>She also talked about the new hopp routine.<blockquote>"I really love the production itself; it was staged by Irina Borisovna Zenovka. I like the music, too. We are going to keep adding more difficulty of apparatus. I missed some things, there were some minor mistakes, but overall I’m happy with my performance, especially since it was a debut and turned out quite well. Alina Maratovna watched it; there is a video exactly from Novogorsk where she was reviewing the hoop routine and adding her own very interesting signature elements. And I hope I managed to showcase them to the fullest here. I feel that after working with Alina Maratovna, the routine became very... even more beautiful. The artistry is really something there. All those different transitions. In short, it definitely added to the artistry. And after that, Alina Maratovna paid extra attention to the hoop routine to make it absolutely perfect."&nbsp;</blockquote>Masha thanked everyone who helped her with the preparation.<blockquote>"Alina Maratovna was in touch with us throughout the preparation. Thanks so much to her for being there, supporting, and helping us, because after my first performance, things weren't going so smoothly emotionally. She helped me get into the right mindset, pull myself together, and after that, my hoop routine went really well. I am incredibly grateful! I also want to thank Irina Nikolaevna; we are always together. Every tournament, every practice, through all the ups and downs, we go through them together, through all the difficult and happy times. I want to thank the entire Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy, all the staff, and the Russian Gymnastics Federation. This is our team medal, so I want to express my gratitude to the entire team, to the whole Russian team!"</blockquote>Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg is a partner of the Sky Grace International Association, as are Yana Zaikina from Volgograd and Sofia Ilteryakova from Moscow. All three gymnasts represented the Association as partners at the AEON Cup.

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Opinion

Silver medalist in the AEON Cup all-around Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg talked about her impressions of the tournament.

“This is our team medal, so the appreciation goes to the entire team!” Mariia Borisova summed up the results of the AEON Cup

<div data-component="video" data-props="{&quot;materialId&quot;:10342,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Итоги AEON Cup в Токио - в сюжете телеканала «РЕН ТВ»&quot;,&quot;externalCdnLink&quot;:null,&quot;video&quot;:{&quot;subDir&quot;:&quot;955/c25&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;955c2517022893611e6f19.mp4&quot;}}"></div>The results of the AEON Cup in Tokyo are in the report of the REN TV channel.

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Competitions

The tournament was held in Tokyo from October 22 to 25.

The results of the AEON Cup in Tokyo. The report of the REN TV channel

<div data-component="video" data-props="{&quot;materialId&quot;:10341,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Еще больше о выступлении и медалях наших гимнасток на клубном чемпионате мира AEON Cup — в программе «Вести недели» на телеканале «Россия 1»!&quot;,&quot;externalCdnLink&quot;:null,&quot;video&quot;:{&quot;subDir&quot;:&quot;c07/c37&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;c07c37c6cac5cc80d692d9.mp4&quot;}}"></div>Learn more about our gymnasts' performances and medals at the AEON Cup World Club Championship in the Vesti Nedeli program on the Rossiya 1 TV channel.

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Gymnasts from Russia won gold in the club standings.

Learn more about our gymnasts' performances at the AEON Cup in the Vesti Nedeli program on the Rossiya 1 TV channel

An interview with Yana Zaikina from Volgograd, the winner of the AEON Cup junior all-around and the club standings.&nbsp;<blockquote>"The routines that worked out the best for me were probably ribbon and hoop. The support was huge. On the final day, even more people came. They were clapping, supporting, and cheering at every risk and every turn. They looked so amazed, and it made me really happy that I was bringing joy to the spectators."</blockquote>The gymnast talked about her preparation for the tournament in Japan:&nbsp;<blockquote>"Alina Maratovna was in touch via video calls and during our control training sessions. We had two of them. I did well on the first one, my run-through was completely clean. On the second one, I only had a drop in my hoop routine on a skill. She praised me and said that there was no need to get discouraged — ‘only stay in a good mood, only look forward,’ that getting there was already a huge step forward for me personally. And that's why I just had to enjoy the moment. I want to say a huge thank you to Evgeniya Mikhailovna for going through this training journey with me. It was very tough, but cool at the same time. Thanks very much to her. Thanks to Olga Dmitrievna for supporting and preparing me as well. She supported me here before every single day, so a huge thank you to her too. And, of course, to Alina Maratovna for coming to the training sessions, going through the plan with us, and for providing the kind of plan that prepared me so well for this competition. Generally, a huge thank you to everyone involved in this victory."</blockquote>She also thanked fans:&nbsp;<blockquote>"I wanted to send a huge thank you to everyone who rooted for me and supported me because I could feel it. When I stepped onto the carpet, I knew that there were so many people cheering and supporting me. It felt very heartwarming. With every movement, I kept reminding myself: ‘I need to focus for everyone who believes in me and not let anyone down.‘"</blockquote>And shared her impressions of discovering a new country and performing at the competition.&nbsp;<blockquote>"I have only positive impressions because I have never been to Tokyo, to Japan. I like it here very very much. People here are so kind. Everyone bows like this and says ‘thank you’ in Russian. And I think this tournament was airy. Everything here was just top-notch. Thanks so much everyone! What stood out to me the most was Hello Kitty walking around and entertaining the spectators and us as well. And after the routines, we would sit on the couches, waving like this, and Hello Kitty was sitting right next to us. It was so cute."</blockquote>Yana Zaikina from Volgograd is a European champion and a silver medalist of the national championship. The gymnast is a member of the main Russian national team, lives and trains at the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy. Her coaches are Evgeniya Eliseeva and Olga Minigalina, and her choreographer is Elena Egorova.Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg, Yana Zaikina from Volgograd, and Sofia Ilteryakova from Moscow are partners of the Sky Grace International Association. At the AEON Cup, they represented Russia, as well as the Association as its partners.

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An interview with Yana Zaikina from Volgograd, the winner of the AEON Cup junior all-around and the club standings.