Swan Lake on Issyk-Kul Lake: the Second International Congress on Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in memory of Professor Musa Mateev
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I attended the Second International Congress on Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in memory of Professor Musa Mateev, which was held from August 8–9, 2024 at Issyk-Kul in Kyrgyzstan. Professor Musa Mateev passed away due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and biannual congresses are held in memory of him.
The congress’s slogan was “And the Day Lasts Longer than a Century.” More than 230 participants attended from the following 10 countries: Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Argentina, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Brazil, Armenia, and Korea. Eighty-nine oral papers were presented in 13 sections. I was honored to present a paper in a section entitled “Face, Head, and Neck.”
The congress venue was located near the concert hall of Rukh Ordo, an open-air museum situated on the shore of Issyk-Kul Lake in Cholpon-Ata. The day after the congress concluded, participants were invited to enjoy a performance of the ballet Swan Lake at the cultural center “Rukh Ordo.” Issyk-Kul is a saline lake in Kyrgyzstan that does not have any outflow; it is the eighth deepest and eighth largest lake in the world. The theater was situated lakeside.
The ballet was performed by the troupe from the Kyrgyz National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, named after Abdylas Maldybaev. Since the president’s summer residence is located nearby, the first lady of Kyrgyzstan also attended the performance on the same day, accompanied by plastic surgeons.
As is known, Act I takes place outside the palace, where courtiers and peasants have gathered to celebrate Prince Siegfried’s 21st birthday. The queen mother gifts her son a crossbow. Act II is set by a lakeside. As the curtain rises, the audience was captivated by the breathtaking view of Issyk-Kul Lake (Fig. 1). We watched as Siegfried and Odette, the white swan, dance on a real lake at sunset. In Act III, set in the ballroom, Prince Siegfried is expected to choose his bride at a grand ball. He becomes enchanted by Odile, the black swan, who has transformed to look like Odette. Believing he has found Odette once more, Siegfried is spellbound. Meanwhile, Odette weeps by the lake, visible through the partially opened curtain. Finally, Act IV returns to the lakeside, where the prince defeats the evil magician, breaking the curse.
“Pas de quatre” in Swan Lake. Note the real lake in the background. Photograph taken by the author.
I have enjoyed Swan Lake many times in the theater; however, this was the first time I experienced it at the lakeside. We all gave a big round of applause to the ballerinas and ballerinos.
I thoroughly enjoyed both the academic meeting and the post-congress ballet. For future Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (APS KOREA) conferences, I would recommend including optional cultural events such as ballet, opera, or plays.
Notes
Kun Hwang is an editorial board member of the journal but was not involved in the peer reviewer selection, evaluation, or decision process of this article. No other potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the Korean Military Medical Research Project funded by the ROK Ministry of National Defense (ROK-MND-2024-KMMRP-006).