Studio Blog

Moscow Ballet brought its 2018 Dove of Peace Tour of the Great Russian Nutcracker to three US cities on Friday in honor of the International Day of Peace. The International Day of Peace, also known as World Peace Day, is observed world-wide on September 21. The United Nations General Assembly has deemed International Day of Peace as “a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples” The day was first observed in 1982 and in 2015, the United Nations Member States drew up the  Sustainable Development Goals with hopes to achieve a better future for everyone.

Moscow Ballet proudly takes part in World Peace Day events every year and promotes the message of peace through its community engagement programs throughout the season. This year, Moscow Ballet was honored to bring three World Peace Day events to Atlanta, Georgia; Bowling Green, Kentucky and York, Pennsylvania.

Atlanta: Moscow Ballet teams up with Pianos for Peace – Moscow Ballet teamed up with Pianos for Peace in their closing ceremony of the Pianos for Peace festival. Pianos for Peace is a non-profit organization that aims to achieve peace and promote philanthropy through art, music and education. From September 1-22, the organization places 50 hand-painted pianos around Metro Atlanta for anyone to play as a way to inspire artists and unite community. Moscow Ballet soloist, Maria Morari, performed in front of a baby grand piano, painted appropriately with a dove of peace by volunteer artist Marisa Cerban, in the Atrium of the Atlanta airport, while composer, pianist, and founder of Pianos for Peace, Malek Jandali, played one of his original pieces on the baby grand. In addition to Maria’s performance, West Clayton Elementary School and Banneker High School’s student choirs sang for passing-by travelers at the event. The two schools will receive two of the hand-painted pianos as part of Pianos for Peace’s mission to donate the pianos after the festival is over. The goal of the collaborative community event was to raise awareness of the community's desire for peace.

Bowling Green: Peace through Cultural Immersion – Moscow Ballet soloist and audition director, Yuriy Kuzo, led a New Horizons event at Bazell Middle School in Bowling Green, KY. Moscow Ballet’s New Horizons Program aims to promote world peace through cultural immersion. Yuriy taught the middle schoolers a Russian Folk Dance, Russian language and Russian traditions prevalent in the Great Russian Nutcracker, such as Snow Maiden and Father Christmas. The mission of the New Horizon program is to foster a sense of cross-cultural understanding to lay the groundwork for a path to peace.

York: A Dance for Peace – Alisa Bolotnikova, one of Moscow Ballet’s soloists and audition directors, brought the magic of the dove of peace to local dance students in York, Pa. Alisa performed the single-person Dove of Peace choreography for a group of 28 dance students at McCann’s School of Dance. The Dove of Peace is a role exclusive to Moscow Ballet, in which two dancers dance together to form a beautiful dove with a 20-foot wingspan. After the performance, Alisa led a master class, bringing the Vaganova method of ballet to American dance students. The Vaganova method is considered the backbone of Russian classical ballet repertoire.