Military Discount now available for families to see Great Russian Nutcracker performances!
Ticket Discount Brings Holiday Cheer, Tradition to Military Families

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

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

(BERKSHIRES, Mass.) November 23, 2010 – U.S. soldiers selflessly serve our country and fight for our freedom every day. Now it’s time to give back. Moscow Ballet is offering a deep discount for those serving in the military to see the Great Russian Nutcracker in cities nationwide.

Moscow Ballet is honored to be a conduit of patience and understanding between nations, bringing a message of peace and harmony that is projected through the performances and the art of Russian Ballet. The NY Times chief dance critic said, when Moscow Ballet opened at the US Military Academy of West Point on Nov. 13, “In the audience were…military cadets. Impossible not to wish they were onstage. After all, there are soldiers in The Nutcracker.”

Honored members of the U.S. Military save up to $12.50 per ticket by presenting a military ID at the theater box office up to 24 hours prior to the performance. Only one discount per ticket which cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts; military discounts on VIP and Platinum ticket packages are not available. For more information call 800.320.1733. Make Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker a new family tradition.

Cities with Great Russian Nutcracker performances and large military communities include (in performance date order); Bethesda, Cheyenne, Denver, Baltimore, Virginia Beach, Cupertino CA, Rosemont IL, Detroit, San Diego, Tucson, N Charleston, El Paso, San Antonio, Lake Charles LA, New Orleans, St Petersburg, and Panama City. See complete tour listing with dates below.

Now in its 18th season, the Great Russian Nutcracker performance tour features exquisite Russian ballet dancers as well as luxurious costumes, three-dimensional backdrops and hand-crafted props. The tour visits over 70 cities across the United States and Canada each year. The performance features 40 highly skilled, professional ballet dancers, as well as a cast of youth dancers—ages 7 to 16—from the local area, who auditioned for the roles in September and October.

Cities along the eastern leg of the Great Russian Nutcracker tour, feature Alexandra Elagina, a 23-year old native of Kazan, Russia, making her North American debut. She dances the lead role of Masha/Clara. This up-and-coming ballerina has studied under I. Khakimova, the “People’s Artist of Tatarstan (Russia)” and “Honorable Artist of the Russian Federation,” at the Kazan Ballet Academy. And even before her graduation from the Academy in 2006, she was a soloist in Tatar’s Jalil State Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet, which is considered one of the best troupes performing in Russia. Anatolie Ustimov dances alongside Alexandra in the lead role of the Nutcracker Prince. He hails from the Moldavian capitol of Chisinau, and began his professional ballet career in 2000 as a principal artist with the State Theater of Opera and Ballet of Moldova—the following year he graduated with honors from the State Academic Choreographic School of Moldova. He is also a Laureate of the 2009 Moscow International Ballet Competitions (IBC).

The west coast leg of the 2010 Great Russian Nutcracker tour features Cristina Terentiev dancing the lead role of Masha/Clara. When not touring with Moscow Ballet, she is a leading ballerina with the Moldavian National Opera and Ballet Theater, and is a former principal dancer with the Atlantic Ballet Theater in Canada. She earned a Gold Medal in 2008 from the IBC Varna, where she also received the award for “Best Original Contemporary Choreography” by Radu Poklitaru. Alexei Terentiev performs the principal role of the Nutcracker Prince. He is a multiple award-winning ballet dancer, garnering a First Place honor in the Senior Men’s Division at the Danovsky Ballet Competition as well as an award from the Diagilev Center. Similar to his wife, he is a soloist with the Moldavian National Opera and Ballet Theatre when not touring with Moscow Ballet. As a couple, the Terentievs have been awarded Gold Medals from the International Ballet Competitions (IBC) Varna (the top such competition worldwide) for “Best Partnership” and “Best Original Contemporary Choreography.” In Great Russian Nutcracker, Cristina and Alexei each bring their unique, unparalleled heritage to life on stage, alongside fellow professional, highly talented ballet dancers.

For a complete listing of Great Russian Nutcracker performances on the 2010 tour, and to purchase tickets, visit www.nutcracker.com.

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.