Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker comes to Peabody Opera House on Wednesday, Nov. 30 and Thursday, Dec. 1. Tickets go on sale Friday, Sept. 16 at 10 a.m. This holiday performance premieres alternating pairs of award-winning principal dancers as Masha (aka Clara) and the Nutcracker Prince as well as a corps of 40 Russian dancers. Set to Tchaikovsky’s famous score, the production features 200 lavish costumes, larger-than-life Russian puppets and 9 hand-painted backdrops that are embellished with 3-D effects – a must see for the whole family!  2011 marks Moscow Ballet’s 19th annual Great Russian Nutcracker tour of 2 companies to 60+ cities across North America. Moscow Ballet’s beloved Christmas story received critical acclaim in 2010; “Expansive… the Russian style is elegantly generous, and so the experience is never meager” NY Times; ”The corps dancers were striking to see” Charleston Today; “When performed by masters like these {Moscow Ballet}, ballet seems effortless, elegant, and easy” Twin Cities Daily Planet.  Tickets will be available at the Ford Box Office at Scottrade Center, Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 800-745-3000 and online at ticketmaster.com.

Ballet Master Andrei Litvinov, born in Bender just outside of Moscow, was 1 of 3 children selected, out of 360 auditioning, to attend the preeminent Bolshoi Academic Choreographic College, known informally as the “Bolshoi School,”  in Moscow. He graduated in 1982 after five years of study, went on to the Chisinau Choreographic College and was immediately asked to join the company. Called to military duty as an anti-aircraft gunner and tanker, he returned to dance after a year of military service, dancing the archytypal Soviet Prince in leading roles of the classics including Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, Spartacus and more. He danced with lead ballerinas of the day including Lyudmila Semenyaka, Nina Semizorova, Alyona Zaitseva, Nadya Cotets, and Maria Polydova and was the lead danseur in the premiere of Yuri Grigorovich’ Nutcracker and Carmen Suite as well as Carmen choreographed by internationally acclaimed, Moldovan Radu Poklitaru.  He graduated from the Academy of Music, Theater and Fine Arts in 2003 and became Moscow Ballet’s Ballet Master in 2004 while continuing to dance leading roles.  He is a Laureate of the International Ballet Competition (IBC) in Romania, 1996; Yuri Grigorovich IBC in 2000; Danovsky IBC, and the Diagelev Prize.  He is an Honored Artist of the Moldova Republic and has toured the USA, Germany, Italy, Greece, England, Spain, and Egypt. The Moscow Ballet is proud to announce Andre Litvinov as Ballet Master for the 2011 East and West tours.

About the Performance - Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker tells the beloved Christmas story of the girl who falls in love with a Nutcracker Prince – with Russian flair. Praised by the NY Times as “thrilling and expansive,” the 40 impeccably trained Russian dancers leap, spin and lunge bringing the traditional story to life. The Act I Christmas party enchants with its magical toys, evil Mouse King and a journey through the glittering Snow Forrest. Unique to the Great Russian Nutcracker, Russian folk characters Father Christmas and the Snow Maiden escort Masha (aka Clara) to the Land of Peace and Harmony in Act II where she and the Nutcracker Prince are honored by emissaries from heritages the world over; African, Russian, Asian, European and Hispanic. Set to Pytor Tchaikovsky’s famous score, Moscow Ballet’s production features lavish costumes, nine hand-painted backdrops with 3-D ornamentation and fanciful, larger-than-life puppets designed by Russian puppet master Valentin Federov. A must see show for everyone in the family this holiday season! www.nutcracker.com

History - Akiva Talmi Presents Inc. (ATP) 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 by the Moscow Ballet. ATP produced the “Cynthia Gregory National Tour” with Nancy Reagan as Honorary Chair; the “From the Top” NPR TV special featuring NYCB’s Violette Verdi and Itzhak Perlman, the “Alexander Godunov” national tour and more. Created by award-winning Juilliard alumnus, composer/conductor and theatrical producer, Akiva Talmi, ATP  evolved out of the all-star Russian "Glasnost Festival Tour" (1986-92). The Great Russian Nutcracker made its debut in 1993 and was directed and choreographed by soloist Stanislav Vlasov of the famous Bolshoi Theater. In 1994, the Moscow State Theatre of Natalia Sats and the theatre's full orchestra joined Moscow Ballet to expand the company to an 88-artist tour which was billed as the "19th Century Classical Nutcracker." In 2003, Anatoly Emelianov, then an upstart choreographer and winner of the Diagelev award, restaged the Great Russian Nutcracker to critical acclaim. Moscow Ballet productions continue to feature award-winning principals and top graduates of Perm, Vaganova, Moscow State Academic Choreographic and Kiev schools.

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