Harris Center Presents Russian National Ballet Performing SLEEPING BEAUTY, LES SYLPHIDES, And CARMEN, 2/2-3

Under the artistic direction of the legendary Elena Radchenko, a principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet, the Russian National Ballet Theatre was founded during Perestroika, when many principal dancers from the great ballet companies migrated to RNBT. Today it is its own institution comprised of 50 exquisite dancers of singular instruction and vast experience, all dedicated to upholding the grand national tradition of the major Russian ballet works. Ms. Radchenko notes "what makes the Russian ballet tradition so great is that we preserve the original intent of the work, which is eternally new and fresh." Direct from Moscow, Russian National Ballet Theatre is a Columbia Artists Production.

Russian National Ballet Theatre will perform The Sleeping Beauty on Wednesday, February 8, 2017 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm. The company returns the next day, peforming Les Sylphides & Carmen Thursday, February 9, 2017 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $39-$59; Premium $69, with a10% discount for the Wednesday matinee single tickets. Tickets are available online at www.harriscenter.net or from Harris Center Ticket Office at 916-608-6888 from 10 am to 6 pm, Monday through Saturday, and two hours before show time. Parking is included in the price of the ticket. Harris Center is located on the west side of Folsom Lake College campus in Folsom, CA, facing East Bidwell Street.Media Sponsor for Russian National Ballet Theatre is Capital Public Radio

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 were exercising their new-found creative freedom--many new, vibrant companies arose during this period, dedicated not only to the timeless tradition of classical Russian ballet but also dedicated to invigorating the tradition, as the Russians began to accept new developments in the dance from around the world.

The company, then titled the Soviet National Ballet, was founded by and incorporated graduates from the great Russian choreographic schools of Moscow, St. Petersburg and Perm. The principal dancers of the company came from the upper ranks of the great ballet companies and academies of Russia, and the companies of Riga, Kiev and even Warsaw. Today, the Russian National Ballet Theatre is its own institution, with over 50 experienced and exquisitely trained dancers. In addition to their extensive tour history, beginning in January 2017 the company has embarked upon a 4-month coast-to-coast tour of the United States.

In 1994, the legendary Bolshoi principal dancer Elena Radchenko was selected by Presidential decree to assume the first permanent artistic directorship of the company. Ms. Radchenko is the founder of the Russian National Ballet Theatre, and she has focused the Company on upholding the grand national tradition of the major Russian ballet works and developing new talents throughout Russia, with a repertory of virtually all of the great full works of Petipa: "Don Quixote," "La Bayadere," "The Sleeping Beauty," "Swan Lake," "Raymonda," "Paquita," "Coppelia" and "La Sylphide," as well as productions of, among others, "The Nutcracker," "Sylvia," and "La Fille Mal Gardee."

The Harris Center program is an excellent sampling of the RNBT repertoire. With music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikowski,The Sleeping Beauty is a crowning jewel of choreographer Marius Petipa's career. Often considered the finest achievement of the Classical ballet, it is a grandiose and refined blending of the traditional mime, expressive pas d'action and spectacular divertissements in a lavish theatrical setting.

The impetus for the creation of Carmen was a cherished dream of the celebrated Russian ballerina Maya Plisetskaya: to depict the highly strung and riveting character of Carmen in a ballet. Initially banned by the Soviet hierarchy as "disrespectful" to the opera for precisely these qualities, the ballet has since become Rodion Shchedrin's best- known musical work and has remained popular in the West.

Les Sylphides grew out of the Seventh Waltz by Frederic Chopin, premiering in 1907. A favorite work of creator Mikhail Fokine, it is now included in the repertoire of many of the world's leading theaters.

This Year Marks Six Seasons of Great Shows. Up Close. In Folsom!

The Harris Center for the Arts at Folsom Lake College brings the community together to share in cultural experiences featuring the work of artists from throughout the region and around the world. Built and operated by the Los Rios Community College District, the $50 million, state-of-the-art regional performing arts center boasts three intimate venues with outstanding acoustics, an art gallery, a recording studio, elegant teaching spaces, plenty of safe parking and all the other amenities of a world-class performing arts venue. Each year the Center hosts over 400 events attracting more than 150,000 annually.