Moscow Ballet and Linkages of Rochester Announce Russian art exhibit and lecture with Russian dancer on Thursday, Sept 23, 7pm
Bethel Christian Fellowship, 321 East Avenue, Rochester, 14604 (free parking)

“Linkages of Rochester is pleased to invite Rochester’s citizens to hear ballerina Svetlana Todinova address life as an artist in post-Soviet Russia, as well as to see contemporary Russian works of art.” says Paul Caccamise, Linkages of Rochester President of the Board

High resolution images: http://www.nutcracker.com/promo

Contact:
Sally Michael Keyes
413-499-1733 x21 JLIB_HTML_CLOAKING

(BERKSHIRES, Mass.) September 10, 2010 – Linkages of Rochester announces public lecture and art exhibit showcasing contemporary Russian art on Thursday, September 23, 7pm at Bethel Christian Fellowship, 321 East Avenue, Rochester, 14604 (free parking). Moscow Ballet soloist Svetlana Todinova will speak about life in Russia as an artist before and after the Soviet era. Todinova is currently traveling across North America as an ambassador for Moscow Ballet’s touring productions of Swan Lake and the Great Russian Nutcracker and also as audition teacher for local dance students in performance cities across the country. In addition, there will be 7 prints of contemporary Russian art work on exhibit and for sale. In anticipation of its 18th annual North American tour, Moscow Ballet hand-selected a group of Russia’s rising contemporary artists to capture images from the beloved ballets which they tour. Tatyana Kalin, Alexandra Nedzvetskaya, Diana Taran and Eugene Ivanov, chosen with assistance from a representative of the St. Petersburg (Repin) Academy of Art in Russia, have created these works in honor of the 100th anniversary of the life and legacy of Marius Petipa, whose choreography brought The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and more to the Russian stage in the late 1800s. Linkages of Rochester is an all volunteer organization founded with the objective of establishing people-to-people connections with sister city Novgorod in Russia. The organization provides exchanges with professionals of all kinds, educational and cultural events, humanitarian aid shipments and business connections. A solid “bridge” has been built between the two communities, enabling people with varying interests in each city to make contact with their counterparts. For more information call Paul Caccamise 585-544-5168.

Tickets are now on sale for Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker at the Rochester Auditorium Theatre, on Tuesday, December 7, 7:30pm. To purchase call Ticketmaster 800-745-3000 or go to www.nutcracker.com. Tickets start at $27.50.

Svetlana Todinova completed formal training in 1997 at the Ufa Choreography School, of which the legendary Rudolf Nureyev was also a student. While dancing with the State Opera Ballet of Krasnodar, Todinova danced under the legendary Yuri Gregorovich, who is famous for his dynamic and virtuosic productions at the Bolshoi including Spartacus and Ivan the Terrible. Todinova toured with the Russian Academy of Ballet Art and she has performed in Holland, China, Spain, Italy, England, and the USA. Her repertory includes Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, Paganini, La Bayadère, Carmen, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker. She has danced as a soloist with Moscow Ballet since 2006.

Linkages of Rochester, Inc. mission is to increase the understanding of the people, politics, and culture of Russia, with a focus on people-to-people relations with the citizens of our Sister City, Velikiy Novgorod, Russia. Linkages of Rochester, Inc.is an all-volunteer organization that promotes professional, educational and cultural exchanges between our two cities. The organization is run by a board of directors, presided over by Paul Caccamise.
Linkages is part of the International Sister Cities of Rochester (ISCOR), the city's umbrella organization for Rochester's 12 sister cities groups.

The Moscow Ballet 2010 Tour travels to 70 cities in North America and Canada with two simultaneously performing troupes of 40 professional dancers each. Nearly 6000 local dance students are selected to join the cast and over two hundred fifty thousand patrons attend performances annually. The 2010 premiere performances are in West Point, N.Y. on November 13th and in Medicine Hat, Alberta Canada November 6th. See complete tour schedule below. 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, Vladimir Troshchenko, director of Odessa State Ballet and a pivotal figure in the ballet world, was named artistic director and in 2010 Andrei Litvinov will be the co-artistic director. Moscow Ballet continues to feature top graduates of Perm, Vaganova, Moscow State Academic Choreographic and Kiev schools in its productions.

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 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 Vladimir Troshchenko, director of Odessa State Ballet and a pivotal figure in the ballet world, as Ballet Master and in 2010 Andre Litvinov joined as co-Ballet Master. Moscow Ballet continues to feature top graduates of Perm, Vaganova, Moscow State Academic Choreographic and Kiev schools in its productions.