Published: October 09, 2008 12:38 am            

Great Russian Nutcracker

Locals line up to dance with Moscow Ballet

Auditions were held Wednesday in Meridian to give dancers age 7-18, a chance to perform with the Moscow Ballet in the Great Russian Nutcracker.

Auditions also were held in Livingston, Ala., for the scheduled Meridian performances to be held at the Temple Theater on Saturday, Dec. 6, at 3:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Tickets are only available by phone at (601) 934-1033.

Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker 2008 tour will perform in more than 70 cities in North America in November and December.

Co-artistic directors Anatoly Emelianov, Vladimir Troschenko and Andre Litvinov will lead three simultaneous tours across the U.S. and Canada.

Featuring spectacular sets and beautifully costumed Russian dancers, Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker is an annual treat for area families. Whimsical and imaginative storytelling blends with the richness of Russian classical dance to make the Great Russian Nutcracker a unique performance.

Choreographer Emelianov has been praised by critics for its unique setting of Act II in the "Land of Peace and Harmony." To convey his message of peace, Emelianov incorporates an ethereal dove that escorts Masha and the Prince to a land where there is no war or suffering. New for 2008 is a whimsical, giant, six-handed grandfather clock, who signals the transition to the "Land of Peace and Harmony."

Moscow Ballet continues its commitment to "Celebrating Children…The Arts Can Make a Difference.” Local children in each market will audition to appear with the 132 Russian dancers on the tours. In 2007 more than 6,000 U.S. children performed the Great Russian Nutcracker with Moscow Ballet’s dancers, as part of its educational outreach campaign.

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" (1986-1992), 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).

        

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