A. Usitmov and A. Eelagina; photograph courtesy of The Moscow Ballet
The Moscow Ballet, in partnership with Dance Project St. Louis, is holding local audtions for its 20th anniversary performance of the Great Russian Nutcracker, which will take place December 5 at Peabody Opera House. Soloist Natalia Miroshnyk is flying in to oversee the auditions.
Students ages 7 to 16 with at least one year of formal ballet training are eligible; auditions will be held at Dance Project St. Louis (912-A Meramec Station Road in Valley Park, right behind the Starbucks) on October 3, starting at 6:30 p.m. Children must wear dance attire, pointe shoes optional. They must also register in advance, which can be done online at nutcracker.com/auditions or by calling Barbara Burton Craig 636-677-9019. Roles are open for party children, mice, angels, butterflies, and snowflakes.
This year's Nutcracker will feature some new flourishes, including a "Dove of Peace," suite, where two dancers become one bird; a Christmas tree that "grows" 7 stories tall; new costuming; falling snow; hand-painted backdrops by Russian artist Valentin Fedrov; and a "Troika-styled sleigh" navigated by Ded Moroz (Father Christmas) and Snegurochka (Snow Maiden). For more information on the performance, click here.
