Moscow Ballet to present 'The Russian Nutcracker'

YOUNGSTOWN -- Moscow Ballet will bring its critically acclaimed production of "The Great Russian Nutcracker" to 80 cities including Youngstown during this holiday season. The show will be staged at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5 at Stambaugh Auditorium.
Honored Artists of Russia, Tatiana Predenia and Irina Surneva, will star as Masha. Anatoli Emelianov, artistic director, will alternate in the role of the Enchanted Nutcracker Prince with Vladimier Dimitriev and Alexander Flegmatov. Emelianov, a 10-year veteran of the company, and Valerie Kokorev, a former soloist with the Bolshoi Ballet and the Stanislavski Ballet, will direct.
Rave reviews
Moscow Ballet's all-Russian casts have won rave reviews for exquisite dancing and finely honed classical technique. With Valentin Fedorov's sets and costumes, and larger-than-life puppets, "The Great Russian Nutcracker" is a must-see production of 2005.
Now celebrating its 13th-consecutive tour, "The Great Russian Nutcracker" has become a holiday tradition in major markets.
Unique setting
Emelianov's "Nutcracker" features a unique setting of Act Two in the "Land of Peace and Harmony." To convey his message of peace, Emelianov introduces a new character to the "Nutcracker" story -- an ethereal Dove that leads Masha and her Enchanted Nutcracker Prince to a land where there is no war or suffering and all creatures live in harmony. Here, Fedorov's hand-painted backdrop, inspired by the French painter Henri Rousseau, detailed with playful lions, peacocks, elephants and unicorns, provides an appropriate setting for the larger-than-life puppets that give their gifts of wisdom and strength to Masha. New to this year's production is a giant Chinese Dragon and Firebird puppet.
Producer
"The Great Russian Nutcracker" is produced by ballet impresario Akiva Talmi of SMI Inc., a special events and fine arts promotions company.
XTickets are available at the Stambaugh box office: (330) 747-5175; Ticketmaster: (330) 747-1212; Ticketmaster Outlets: Giant Eagle and Kaufmanns; or online at: www.ticketmaster.com.