Posted on: August 8, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Please note date and time change for Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker to MONDAY, November 28, 8:00pm at the Edward W. Powers Auditorium. This holiday performance premieres alternating pairs of award-winning principal dancers as Masha (aka Clara) and the Nutcracker Prince as well as a corps of 30 plus impeccably trained Russian dancers, most of whom have not performed in the US. Moscow Ballet’s beloved Christmas story received critical acclaim in 2010; “Expansive… the Russian style is elegantly generous, and so the experience is never meager” NY Times; ”The corps dancers were striking to see” Charleston Today; “When performed by masters like these {Moscow Ballet}, ballet seems effortless, elegant, and easy” Twin Cities Daily Planet. Set to Tchaikovsky’s famous score, this production features 200 lavish costumes, larger-than-life Russian puppets and 9 hand-painted backdrops that are embellished with 3-D effects – a must see for the whole family! 2011 marks Moscow Ballet’s 19th annual Great Russian Nutcracker tour of 2 companies to 60+ cities across North America. Tickets start at $27.50 and Group Discounts are available for 10 or more, contact www.nutcracker.com/Contact_Page.php or 800-320-1733. To purchase tickets, call 330-744-0264 or Ticketmaster 800-745-3000 or go to www.nutcracker.com or www.youngstownsymphony.com or www.ticketmaster.com .

Premiering in the US with Moscow Ballet, Natalia Toriashvili was awarded the prestigious Festival de la Danza IBC First Prize in Rieti, Italy in 2002 and Honorable Mention for Inspirational Performance at the Rudolf Nureyev Ballet Festival in Tatarstan. Born in 1995 in Tbilisi, aka Georgia and home to George Balanchine, she graduated from the Chabukiani Ballet Academy. Toriashvili danced principal roles for the Ballet Theater Company of the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory from 1995 to 2000 and is currently a principal with that company having rejoined them in 2007. Toriashvili danced with the Israeli Ballet in Tel-Aviv, Israel and the Yakobson Ballet Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia, named after the daring and innovative choreographer recognized for his modern works Spartacus and Rodin Living Sculptors. From 2003-4 she was principal dancer with The Imperial Ballet, with founders and artistic directors Maya Plisetskaya and Gediminas Taranda. Toriashvili dances the lead role in the classic story ballets Giselle, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, and more as well as lesser known Onegin, Shekherazade, Symphony in C by Balanchine , Valse #7, The Moor’s Pavane, Walpurgis Night and The Fairy Doll. She tours extensively in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Ilya Zabotin, born in St Petersburg (then Leningrad) in 1985, graduated at 23 years from the Rudolph Nureyev Russian State Ballet Academy in Ufa, a major stop on the historic Trans-Siberian Railroad and the capital of Bashkortostan. He was immediately invited to be principal dancer of the Yakobson Ballet Company (also known as State Ballet of Leningrad) in St. Petersburg and was there until 2007. Yakobson, soloist and choreographer for Moscow’s Bolshoi Ballet for many years, is known for Spartacus, and Rodin Living Sculptors. Since 2007 Zabotin has been principal dancer of the Ballet Theater Company of the St Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory. He has a wide range of repertoire from pure classical ballet to ultra modern. He performs leading roles such as Tibalt in Romeo and Juliet, Jose and Young Man in Carmen, The Ecstasy and Eternal Idol in Yakobson’s Rodin Living Sculptors, Albrecht in Giselle, Prince Zigfried and Rothbart in Swan Lake, the Prince in The Nutcracker, the Prince in Cinderella, Solor in La Bayadere, Ali in Le Corsaire, Pierrot in The Fairy Doll, Basil in Don Quixote, as well as pas de deux and concert pieces from The Flames of Paris, Mad Dictator with choreography by Yakobson and more.

Natalia Bashkirtseva is a “Distinguished Artist of the Russian Federation” and a Bronze Medalist of the Petipa International Ballet Competition (IBC) Moscow 1993. She is a graduate of the prestigious Vaganova Ballet Academy, St Petersburg, 1987 and of the Leningrad State Academic Conservatory 2003 in the Department of Musical Theater Direction. She danced with the Ballet Theater Company of the St Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory from 1987 to 1991 as principal and with the modern Askold Makarov Ballet, formerly the Yacobson Ballet. She also danced for the Russian Ballet Theater, the Mikhailovsky Theater as principal dancer and Ballet Mistress and is currently with the Ballet Theater Company of St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory as principal dancer and Ballet Mistress. Bashkirtseva travels extensively and performs in Europe, Asia, North and South America. Her repertoire includes the principal roles in ballets including Giselle, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Sheherezade, Don Quixote and more. Contemporary repertoire includes works by Leonid Yakobson, Maurice Bejart, Oleg Vinogradov and others.

Andre Besov was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia in 1980 and began dance training at ten years at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, known as one of the world’s leading ballet schools. In 1998 Besov graduated and his professional career started at the Ballet Theater Company of the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory under artistic direction of Konstantin Tachkin. He was there for ten years. Besov has worked in the following ballet companies as principal dancer and guest artist: the Latvia National Opera in the capitol Riga; Vanemuine Theater in Tartu, Estonia; the world famous Hermitage Theater, in St. Petersburg; the Mikhalovsky Theater in St. Petersburg; and the Ballet Theater Company of the St. Petersburg Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory. Besov’s repertoire includes the principal role in the most often performed classic story ballets as well as modern repertoire. He dances Prince Désiré in Sleeping Beauty; Prince Sigfried in Swan Lake; the Prince inThe Nutcracker (all three ballets with music by Pytor Tchaikovsky); Albrecht in Giselle; Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and Phœbus de Châteaupers in Esmeralda.

About the Performance – Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker tells the beloved Christmas story of the girl who falls in love with a Nutcracker Prince – with Russian flair. Praised by the NY Times as “thrilling and expansive,” the 40 impeccably trained Russian dancers leap, spin and lunge bringing the traditional story to life. The Act I Christmas party enchants with its magical toys, evil Mouse King and a journey through the glittering Snow Forrest. Unique to the Great Russian Nutcracker, Russian folk characters Father Christmas and the Snow Maiden escort Masha (aka Clara) to the Land of Peace and Harmony in Act II where she and the Nutcracker Prince are honored by emissaries from heritages the world over; African, Russian, Asian, European and Hispanic. Set to Pytor Tchaikovsky’s famous score, Moscow Ballet’s production features lavish costumes, nine hand-painted backdrops with 3-D ornamentation and fanciful, larger-than-life puppets designed by Russian puppet master Valentin Federov. A must see show for everyone in the family this holiday season! www.nutcracker.com

History – Akiva Talmi Presents Inc. is known for its annual, touring Great Russian Nutcracker and full-length productions of the classic story-ballets; Swan Lake, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and others. Created by award-winning Juilliard alumnus, composer/conductor and theatrical producer, Akiva Talmi, the organization evolved out of Talmi’s all-star Russian “Glasnost Festival Tour” (1986-92). Moscow Ballet made its debut in 1993 with the Great Russian Nutcracker which was directed and choreographed by soloist Stanislav Vlasov of the famous Bolshoi Theater. 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 which was billed as the “19th Century Classical Nutcracker.” In 2003, Anatoly Emelianov, then an upstart choreographer and winner of the Diagelev award, restaged the Great Russian Nutcracker to critical acclaim. Moscow Ballet continues to feature award-winning principals and top graduates of Perm, Vaganova, Moscow State Academic Choreographic and Kiev schools.

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