Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
To Benefit the Hampton Roads Chapter
Tickets On Sale Now!
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Hampton Roads Chapter is pleased to announce that the performance of the Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker will benefit our chapter on December 15, 2009 at the Sandler Center in Virginia Beach.
Individual tickets cost $100 and include a pre-show reception, a private, full, cash bar during intermission and one of the "best seats in the house". Tickets are available online or by calling 757-490-9627.
The Moscow Ballet touring company features top graduates of Perm, Vaganova, Moscow State Academic Choreographic and Kiev schools. Chief Choreographer Anatoly Emelianov returns with Vladimir Troshchenko as co-artistic directors, and Andre Litvinov joins them.
Moscow Ballet is best known for its annual Great Russian Nutcracker holiday productions. The company evolved out of the all-star Russian cast "Glasnost Festival Tour" (1986-92), created by award-winning Juilliard alumnus, composer/conductor and theatrical producer, Akiva Talmi. Moscow Ballet made its debut in 1993, with an all-star Russian cast presenting the Great Russian Nutcracker, directed and choreographed by Stanislav Vlasov (soloist, Bolshoi Theatre).
The company embarked on a six-week, eight-city tour featuring major cities across the U.S. In 1994, Moscow Ballet invited the Moscow State Theatre of Natalia Sats and the theatre's full orchestra to expand the company to an 88-artist tour. Its signature production was billed as the "19th Century Classical Nutcracker." South Carolina Public Television produced a full-length Nutcracker at Washington's Constitution Hall, underwritten by NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children).
THE PERFORMANCE
Gold Medalist Cristina Terentieva stars as Masha partnered by Alexei Terentiev as the Nutcracker Prince. Ms. Terentieva won the Gold Medal at the prestigious Varna International Ballet Competition in 2008. In Varna, the couple performed Radu Poklitaru’s award winning contemporary pas de deux “Lullaby,” for which Alexei was honored as Best Partner.
Praised for exquisite dancing and gorgeous costumes, the Great Russian Nutcracker is directed by Ballet Master Vladimir Troschenko. Mr. Troschenko partnered such legendary Russian ballerinas as Nadia Pavolva, Ludmilla Seminyaka, and Galina Mezentseva. He is an honors graduate of the Bolshoi and Kirov academies.
Set against Valentin Fedorov's spectacular hand-painted backdrops and life-sized dancing puppets, the Great Russian Nutcracker delights audiences with a visual tapestry rich in detail and whimsy. It is especially distinctive for its unique setting of Act II in the “Land of Peace and Harmony” and for the introduction of a new character, a Christmas Dove. New this year is a fantasy clock with wings of an owl that cast a shadow over the battle between the Soldiers and the Mice. Mr. Fedorov, an Honored Artist of Chuvashia, was a protégée of the legendary designer Valery Leventhal of the Bolshoi Theatre. He is art director at the Chuvashia State Theater and has designed over 40 productions for opera and ballet. Moscow Ballet features top graduates of Perm, Vaganova, Moscow State Academic Choreographic and Kiev schools. Acclaimed for exquisite dancing and gorgeous costumes, critics rave that Anatoli Emelianov’s Great Russian Nutcracker is “flawless,” “breathtaking,” and “dazzling.” Whimsical and imaginative storytelling blend with the richness of Russian classical ballet to make the Great Russian Nutcracker a memorable holiday treat for everyone.