Moscow Ballet (United States)

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See also: Moscow Ballet

The Moscow Ballet is a touring ballet company best known for its annual “Great Russian Nutcracker” holiday productions.

The company evolved out of the 1989-92 “Glasnost Festival” created by Boston-born theatrical producer Akiva Talmi. [1], [2]

Moscow Ballet made its debut in 1993 with a company of 27 dancers performing The Nutcracker, directed and choreographed by Stanislav Vlasov. The company embarked on a six-week, eight-city tour primarily consisting of East Coast cities. The Washington Post reported: "Expectations were high for this company, also billed as the state ballet of Russia…”[3]

The six week, eight city tour of primarily east coast cities featured a company of 27 dancers from five ex-Soviet rebublics.[4]

Because the Bolshoi Ballet had often been referred to generically as "The Moscow Ballet" (see, for example [5]) and because the tour originally was advertised as featuring stars of the Bolshoi,[6] there was some initial confusion in the media between this new company and the Bolshoi, as witnessed by a review of Talmi's Moscow Ballet that ran in the Miami Herald under a headline that began "Bolshoi's Old-School Nutcracker..."[7]

The Bolshoi Ballet threatened legal action, but a lawsuit was avoided when Moscow Ballet dropped the name Bolshoi from its promotions and made clarifications to the media. [8]

The following year Moscow Ballet changed its name to Moscow State Ballet and toured ten cities with a company from the Natalia Sats Theater directed and choreographed by Natalie Ryzenko. Its signature production was billed as the “19th Century Classical Nutcracker.” [9]

In 1997, no longer working with dancers from Natalia Sats, but still billed as Moscow State Ballet, the production was directed by Nikolai Dorochov and choreographed by Oleg Nikolayev. It was referred to for the first time as “The Great Russian Nutcracker.” [10], [11], [12]

In 1999 the company changed its name back to Moscow Ballet. Reviews from 1998 and 1999 variously list Mikhail Chulgin, Arcadi Ustiansev or Oleg Nikolaev as artistic director and Sergei Bobrov as choreographer.[13], [14],[15],[16], [17] In 2000, Valery Lantratov directed the tour with choreography by Oleg Nikolaev.

At that time Talmi described the production as "brooding, deep and dark.. We're dancing with the Russian soul," He said. "We're keeping the flame alive."[18]

The following year, a new bright and colorful “Peace and Harmony” themed set was unveiled for one of the two tours. It was later used for both touring companies. The following year "larger-than-life puppets" and animal costumes were added to the production. [19]

Moscow Ballet also grew to include two national touring companies with parallel tours. Vitali Akhoundov of GITIS and Valery Lantratov of the Russian National Ballet Foundation were the respective directors, each providing their own separate choreography.

The two directors continued with the company until 2003, when Akhoundov was replaced by Anatoli Emelianov, director of the independent dance company "Crown of Russian Ballet." [20] Emelianov had previously danced the role of the prince in the touring company headed by Lantratov.[21], [22]

Valery Lantratov left Moscow Ballet the following season publicly complaining of "an unacceptable contract" and "discontent with the marketing practices."[23] He was replaced by Vladimir Troshenko, director of Odessa Ballet Theater of Odessa, Ukraine.[24],[25]

Over the next two years, Moscow Ballet has increased the size and scope of its tour adding Cinderella and Swan Lake to its schedule. In 2007 it expanded to three touring companies and performed its first tour of Canada to mixed reviews.[26][27] but it is principally known for its Nutcracker productions which incorporate hundreds of local children each year. The children are cast through open auditions. By the end of Moscow Ballet's 2002 tour the company estimated that it had given more than 39,000 children a chance to perform alongside its professional cast.[28]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Nelson, Annie: "World Stage", "Columbia Daily Tribune", November 26, 2006.
  2. ^ Bolton, Michele Morgan: "Ballet Troupes Battle in Court", "Albany Times Union", March 4, 2004
  3. ^ Kaufman, Sarah: "Dance", "Washington Post", November 27, 1993.
  4. ^ Huriash, Lisa J.: "Moscow Performers Adopt Shop-Till-You-Drop Regimine on U.S. Tour", "Tampa Tribune", December 24, 1993
  5. ^ Pearson, Drew: "U.S. Curtain Hard to Penetrate", "Chronicle-Telegram", June 13, 1957
  6. ^ Kaufman, Sarah: "Dance", "Washington Post", November 27, 1993.
  7. ^ Horn, Laurie: "Bolshoi's Old School Nutcracker Marred by Stodgy Corps de Ballet", "Miami Herald", December 23, 1993.
  8. ^ McKerrow, Steve: "Battling Ballet Troupes Sling Barbs", "Baltimore Sun", December 3, 1993
  9. ^ LaRue, William: "Ballet Feels Changes in Russia", "Syracuse Post Standard", December 15, 1994
  10. ^ Jordan, Allison: "Moscow State Ballet Performs in New Orleans", Hulabaloo News (Online Edition), 1997.
  11. ^ Ellis, Amy: "From Russia, With Leaps and Bounds", "Hartford Courant", December 25, 1997
  12. ^ Novelli, Neil: "Moscow Ballet Waltzes Into Season with 'Nutcracker'", "Syracuse Post Standard", December 19, 1997
  13. ^ Espe, Troy: "From Russia With Love", "Panama City News Herald", November 13, 1998
  14. ^ McGee, Melanie: "A New/Old Classic: The Moscow Ballet Brings the Nutcracker to Asheville", "Mountain Xpress", November 18, 1998
  15. ^ McGee, Melanie: "Debuting a Tradition", "Mountain Xpress", November 24, 1999.
  16. ^ Nichols, Ann: "All Nutcrackers Are Not the Same", "Shreveport Times", November 11, 1999
  17. ^ Raabe, Nancy: "Nutcracker Admirable Despite Sound, Scenery", "Birmingham News", November 15, 1998
  18. ^ Henderhenshon, Roberta: "Footlights", "The New York Times", December 24, 2000.
  19. ^ Kemp, Julianne: "Local Children will Dance with Group for Nutcracker", "Charleston Daily Mail", December 13, 2001.
  20. ^ Корона русского балета - О Театре
  21. ^ Farrant, Rick: "Classic Russian", "Fort Wayne Journal Gazette", November 9, 2003
  22. ^ Friedman, Sally: "Moscow Ballet's Nutcracker Drops in for a Special County Visit", Burlington County Times, December 19, 2003
  23. ^ Varnish, Jane: "Producer Vows Fine Russian Nutcracker Despite Turmoil", "Pittsburgh Post Gazette", November 27, 2004
  24. ^ Strini, Tom: "Russian Flavored Nutcracker Coming", "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel", November 25, 2004
  25. ^ Varnish, Jane: "Producer Vows Fine Russian Nutcracker Despite Turmoil", "Pittsburgh Post Gazette", November 27, 2004
  26. ^ Litwin, Grania. "Moscow Ballet delivers elegant Swan Lake", "Victoria Tmes", November 2, 2007
  27. ^ Meyers, Deborah. "Moscow Ballet's Clumsy Swan Lake Truly Terrible", "Vancouver Sun", November 7, 2007
  28. ^ www.nutcracker.com