The Little Humpbacked Horse is based on a Russian folk tale for children, but the latest adaptation for the stage by Ratmansky is fresh, fun and very creative, with a wide audience appeal. A perfect blend of "classical meets modern". This is a ballet to music (1956) by Rodion Shchedrin, whose works came in the repertoire of the Mariinsky Theatre in recent years. It was premierred at the Bolshoi Theatre in 1960.
Current production was choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky in 2009. The choreographer Alexei Ratmansky is well-known to Russian and American audiences for his works staged at the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky Theatres, as well as in the famous American Ballet Theatre company.
Alexei Ratmansky is acclaimed as one of the most vibrant modern choreographers.

Choreography by Alexander Radunsky
Staging by Mikhail Messerer
Stage and Costume Designer: Vyacheslav Okunev
Multimedia Director, Lighting Designer: Gleb Filshtinsky
Multimedia Production: Sergey Nikolaev
Musical Director of the production: Pavel Sorokin
Ballet Master’s Assistants: Evgeny Popov, Anna Razenko

The Little Humpbacked Horse, Ivanushka and his envious brothers Danila and Gavrila, the Maiden Tsar, and the other characters have all been transferred from the pages of the wondrous fairy tale by Pyotr Ershov to the ballet stage. A peasant son, Ivanushka, with the help of a plain-looking horse who becomes his loyal friend, overcomes all his trials, puts the stupid Tsar to shame, takes his place, and marries the Tsar Maiden. The tale, familiar from childhood, is told with mischief and slyness. The music is by eminent composer Rodion Shchedrin, who wrote it as a young man while studying at the Conservatory. It sparkles with fun and creates freedom for choreographic solutions. In his production, Mikhail Messerer faithfully observes the choreography of Alexander Radunsky, who was the first to use this score and created a performance on the stage of the Bolshoi Theatre in 1960. The full-length three-act production is a delight for children and adults alike, sure to be enjoyed by everyone who appreciates ballet performed in the classical tradition. The stage design uses motifs from Palekh miniatures, offering a very special take on fairy tales and folklore.

Prologue

On that as Ivan it guarded wheat and caught pilferer - the magic horse, which into the ransom gave three horses to Ivan: two krasavtsev of painted, and the third - horse on by prozvan’yu of sea horse.

1 act.

On how Ivan with the brothers it sold horses in the capital, as tsar to those horses it marvelled and at a cost of it did not be stingy, as to servants by tsarist horses they were not given and it was necessary for tsar to take Ivan by main groom to itself in the palace.

2 act.

on how the previous main konyushiy chief of intrigue it braided against Ivan, as to tsar denunciation reported, that Ivan de bragged Tsar- girl to bring, as it was necessary for Ivan to go into the distant of edge after the tsarevna, and as Konek-Gorbunok it helped its owner to captivate Tsar- girl.

3 act.

on how tsar it decided to rejuvenate and the beauty to be married, for which before the palace they divorced fire, in the boilers they boiled water; at first tsar ordered Ivan to expiate; Ivan as dipped, so he were wrapped up into the fine person, and tsar in the boiling water welded, here Ivan with the Tsar- girl they married.

Epilogue

on how they feasted how tsarina and Ivan glorified, honey pili, it flowed along the whiskers, but it did not fall into the mouth.