Nazareth College Arts Center to present exquisite Russian National Ballet Theatre Saturday, March 25
Company returns to Rochester with two perennial favorites: Romeo & Juliet and Carmen!
Rochester, NY (03/06/2017) — The Nazareth College Arts Center is proud to present the Russian National Ballet Theatre on Saturday, March 25, 2017, at 8 p.m. in the Callahan Theater. The company—which last appeared at the Arts Center in 2012—will perform two classic ballets: Romeo & Juliet and Carmen.
Visit naz.edu/arts-center/newsroom/ for photos. The troupe is available for advance phone interviews.
THE PERFORMANCE
The Russian National Ballet Theatre was founded in Moscow during the transitional period of Perestroika in the late 1980s, when many of the great dancers and choreographers of the Soviet Union’s ballet institutions began exercising their new-found creative freedom to start vibrant companies dedicated not only to the timeless traditions of classical Russian ballet but also to invigorating them with dance developments from around the world.
The company—originally called the Soviet National Ballet—was founded by and incorporated graduates from the great choreographic schools of Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Perm, and its principal dancers came from the upper ranks of the renowned ballet companies and academies of Riga, Kiev, and Warsaw. Today, the Russian National Ballet Theatre is its own institution with more than 50 dancers.
In 1994, legendary Bolshoi principal dancer Elena Radchenko was selected by Presidential decree to assume the first permanent artistic directorship of the company. Ms. Radchenko has focused the company on upholding the grand national tradition of major Russian ballet works and developing new talent, with a repertory of the full works of Marius Petipa—widely considered to be the most influential ballet master and choreographer in ballet history—as well as beloved classics.
The Russian National Ballet Theatre’s production of Carmen includes music by Rodion Shchedrin (b.1932) after Georges Bizet (1838-1875) and choreography by Alberto Alonso (1967) with additional staging and choreography by Iryna Kovalova. The impetus behind the piece’s creation was the dream of celebrated Russian ballerina Maya Plisetskaya to depict the riveting character. Initially banned as “disrespectful” to the opera, the ballet has since become Shchedrin’s best-known work, and has remained popular in the West as what reviewer James Sanderson calls “an iconoclastic but highly entertaining retelling of Bizet's opera.”
The company’s production of Romeo and Juliet features music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) and choreography by Radchenko based on sketches by Petipa. This spectacular masterpiece brings the greatest love story of all time to the stage in the grand tradition of Russian ballet. Petipa’s brilliant choreography and Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous score illuminate Shakespeare’s forever romance in a heartwarming work performed with awe-inspiring artistry and enhanced with magnificent costumes and sets.
TICKETS
Single tickets to the Russian National Ballet Theatre are $50-$65. For tickets call – or visit – the Box Office: 585-389-2170 or order online: naz.edu/arts-center.
The Nazareth College Arts Center Box Office is located on campus at 4245 East Avenue, Rochester, New York, 14618. Regular box office hours are Monday-Friday, 11am-5pm and 11am until curtain time on performance days.
SPONSORS
The Nazareth College Arts Center is a non-profit institution whose series sponsors are The Max and Marian Farash Charitable Foundation and M&T Bank. The performance by the Russian National Ballet Theatre is sponsored by Susan and Steve Eisinger.
THE NAZARETH COLLEGE ARTS CENTER
Since 1967, the Nazareth College Arts Center (naz.edu/arts-center) has served as a venue and educational resource for students, educators, artists, and audiences of all ages to create, study, and experience the visual and performing arts. The Arts Center’s subscription series and K-12 school performance series provide area residents of all ages with opportunities to experience world-class dance, multi-cultural entertainment, family programming, music, theatre, and special events. The Departments of Art, Music, and Theatre and Dance present exceptional productions, recitals, and exhibitions, which are open to the public, while preparing students for successful careers in arts-related fields.
The Nazareth College Arts Center is the performance home of the Rochester City Ballet and world-renowned Garth Fagan Dance; and is home to the Bach Children’s Chorus.
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