The beautiful music of “waltz king” Johann Strauss inspired a romantic ballet about the choice between love and the stage, dreams and reality. An der schönen blauen Donau was first performed in Riga in 1957; in the 60 years since, it has been revived numerous times and has become one of the cornerstones of the Latvian Ballet. This new production is in celebration of yet another anniversary. April 2017 marks the 110th birthday of Helēna Tangijeva-Birzniece – legendary ballerina, ballet master, instructor and producer of this ballet.