Mid-South Youth Invited to Audition for Moscow Ballet’s GREAT RUSSIAN NUTCRACKER | Arts & Culture

Action News 5 received the following from the Dance Academy of Bartlett:

Memphis Youth Invited to Audition

To Perform in Moscow Ballet’s GREAT RUSSIAN NUTCRACKER

(Berkshires, MA) July 12, 2010 – Moscow Ballet announces an open audition for the Great Russian Nutcracker on Thursday, September 23, 6:00pm at The Dance Academy of Bartlett, 6240 Stage Plaza East
Bartlett, TN 38134, 901-385-2228. Accepted applicants will perform in the Great Russian Nutcracker at the Cannon Center on Tuesday, November 29 at 7:30pm.  Applicants must have dance experience and be between 7 and 16 years old. Applicants must also dress in dance attire and may bring Pointe shoes. For more information, contact Tracey Hannon 901-385-2228. Tatiana Casian, a Russian trained soloist with Moscow Ballet, will conduct the audition and work with the selected students in rehearsal at a later date. 

Moscow Ballet’s Tatiana Casian charms audiences each year with her dancing of the athletic Chinese variation in Act II of the Great Russian Nutcracker.  She is an expertly trained ballerina having graduated in 1988 from the Kiev Academic Choreographic School in Ukraine where she trained under A.G. Kalchenko.  Tatiana enjoyed a tremendous amount of post-graduate experience, touring throughout the world during her time with the Odessa State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater.  Tatiana’s repertoire includes Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadere, Don Quixote and, of course, The Great Russian Nutcracker.

Praised for exquisite dancing and gorgeous costumes, the Great Russian Nutcracker is directed by Ballet Master Vladimir Troschenko.  Troschenko partnered such legendary Russian ballerinas as Nadia Pavlova, Ludmilla Seminyaka, and Galina Mezentseva and is an honors graduate of the Bolshoi and Kirov academies. He will tour Swan Lake to 61 cities in Europe from June 30 to August 31.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 the “Land of Peace and Harmony” in Act II and for the introduction of a Christmas Dove and a fantasy clock with wings of an owl that cast a shadow over the battle between the Soldiers and the Mice.  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. Acclaimed for exquisite classical ballet dancers and bejeweled, sumptuous costumes, critics rave that Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker is “flawless,” “breathtaking,” and “dazzling.” The richness of the Russian classical ballet dancers blended with whimsical storytelling have made the Great Russian Nutcracker a memorable holiday treat for the last 17 years.

Tickets are now on sale. To purchase by phone call Ticketmaster 800-745-3000, buy online at www.nutcracker.com or www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets start at $27.50. Group rates are available for ten or more tickets, call 800 320 1733.

For a truly special Christmas experience Moscow Ballet introduces its Platinum Seating and Gift promotion. Platinum ticket buyers receive a limited edition fine art giclee print created by contemporary Russian masters from the St. Petersburg Academy of Art. These stunning first edition prints were commissioned to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of Marius Petipa’s life.  Renowned as the creator of Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, Petipa is revered as the “Father of Russian Ballet”. Platinum Seating includes the best centered seats, a backstage Meet and Greet, gourmet chocolates, preferred parking and a Platinum Member’s Benefit Card for purchases at www.nutcracker.com. Only seven pairs of platinum tickets per performance are available!  For information on Platinum, VIP or discount tickets visit http://www.nutcracker.com/premium.php .

East Tour – Great Russian Nutcracker

West Point            NY      11/13

Wilkes Barre         PA           11/14

Paducah                KY           11/16

Birmingham          AL           11/17

*Meridian              MS       11/18

Dallas                    TX           11/19-21            

*Stephenville        TX           11/22

*Alma                     AR          11/23

Little Rock             AR          11/24

Muskegon             MI            11/26

Indianapolis          IN            11/27

Knoxville               TN          11/28

Memphis               TN          11/29

*Blacksburg          VA           12/1

Charleston            WV         12/2

Youngstown         OH          12/3

*Easton                 PA       12/4

*Verona                NY           12/5

Rochester             NY          12/7

Bethesda               MD          12/8-9

*Somerville           NJ           12/10

Baltimore               MD          12/11-12

Charlottesville      VA           12/13-14

Virginia Beach      VA          12/15-16

Cleveland             OH          12/17

Rosemont             IL             12/18

Detroit                    MI            12/19

*Ashland               KY           12/20

Asheville               NC          12/21

Durham NC          12/22

N Charleston        SC          12/23

Sarasota                FL           12/26

Lakeland               FL           12/27

St  Petersburg      FL           12/28-29

*denotes private performance

West Tour – Swan Lake and Great Russian Nutcracker

Lethbridge            CAN       11/5

^Medicine Hat      CAN       11/6

^*Saskatoon         CAN       11/9-10

^*Regina               CAN       11/11-12

^*Edmonton          CAN       11/15-16

Surrey, BC            CAN       11/19

Yakima  WA         11/20

^Missoula              MT          11/21

^*Calgary              CAN       11/22-23

*Lake of Torches WI  11/26-27

Fargo                     ND          11/28

^*Winnipeg           CAN       11/29

^Thunder Bay      CAN       11/30

Grand Forks         ND          12/1

Rochester             MN          12/2

Minneapolis          MN          12/3-4

Cedar Rapids       IA            12/5

Cheyenne             WY         12/8

Casper                   WY         12/9

Denver                   CO          12/10-11

Grand JunctionCO              12/12

Farmington           NM          12/13-14

*Albuquerque       NM          12/15

Bakersfield      CA                12/16

Cupertino              CA          12/17

Santa Rosa           CA          12/18

*La Mirada            CA          12/19

San Diego             CA          12/20

Tucson                  AZ           12/21

*Phoenix               AR          12/22

El Paso  TX           12/23

San Antonio          TX           12/26

Lake Charles        LA           12/27

New Orleans        LA           12/28

Panama City         FL           12/29

*denotes private performance

^denotes Swan Lake performance

Moscow Ballet - History
Moscow Ballet 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 Russian Bolshoi Theatre. 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, Moscow Ballet announced the appointment of Anatoly Emelianov, winner of the Diagelev award, and Vladimir Troshchenko, director of Odessa State Ballet and a pivotal figure in the ballet world, as co-artistic directors. Moscow Ballet continues to feature top graduates of Perm, Vaganova, Moscow State Academic Choreographic and Kiev schools in its productions.