Moscow Ballet Presents North American Debut of Olga Kifyak in GREAT RUSSIAN NUTRACKER Today, 11/15

Moscow Ballet announces North American premiere of 10 time IBC medalist Olga Kifyak in celebration of 20th Anniversary of Great Russian Nutcracker on East Tour.

From leading roles in dramatic Swan Lake, to lyrical Giselle, to exotic Gamzati in La Bayadere, Kifyak out performs and out shines her contemporaries. The greatest find of the 2012 national touring scene and Honored Artist of Ukraine, Kifyak is partnered by Ion Kuroshhu, graduate of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy.

Signature role, and exclusive to Moscow Ballet productions of the Great Russian Nutcracker, the Dove of Peace is danced by Sergey Chumakov and Elena Petrachenko who become one bird with 20 foot wingspan. The acclaimed pair create an awe-inspiring Dove of Peace in recognition of the 20th Anniversary of the Great Russian Nutcracker and dance Arabian variation as well. Wearing one ten foot long wing each, the pair balances, dives and fly as one great white dove.

Chumaokv and Petrachenko’s creation is inspired by work of Stanislav Vlasov, former dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet and original Great Russian Nutcracker choreographer in 1993. In addition to the corps de ballet of 40 Vaganova trained dancers, the performance treats the eye with 200 all new costumes, falling snow, cheery 10 foot tall silk puppets, appearances by Russian folk legends Father Christmas and the Snow Maiden and more. 2012 tour list with cities and dates is below. For more information and tickets, go to www.nutcracker.com.

Olga Kifyak was born to dance and in a short time has become principal ballerina par excellence. From the dramatic, to the lyrical to the tricks of a master, Kifyak has it all – public accolades and professional awards. In six short years Kifyak garnered 11 international dance awards: Bronze Medalist at Serge Lifar Iinternational Ballet Competition (IBC) in 2002 and in 2004 2 medals at the 5th IBC in Vienna, Austria; July o2004 she won an award at Third IBC in Rome, Italy and in April 2 years later, she won Silver at 6th Serge Lifar International Ballet Competition. In September of 2006 at the First International Yuri Grigorovich Ballet Competition "Young Ballet of Peace" she received a top award. In 2012, after just over ten years of profession dancing, Olga was also bestowed with the title of Honored Artist of Ukraine. Olga’s repertoire includes all the ballet classics: Swan Lake as Odette, Odile; Coppelia as Coppelia; Don Quixote as Kitri;Paquita as Paquita; La Bayadere as Gamzatti; Spartacus as Aegina; Raymonda; Giselle; Sleeping Beauty; Le Corsair; The Master and Margarita; Danielle; The Viennese Waltz and Lord Borisphen. In 2004 she toured with former Bolshoi Prima Ballerina Anastasia Volochkova and prior to this she toured with International Festival of Ballet Stars of Ukraine, an international Festival of Vaslav Nijinsky, the Horegrafichesky Lotus Festival, the International Festival of the 21st century, and the Tanya International Festival of Young Talents in Prague, Czech Republic. Her dance career started in1998 when she studied at the Ukrainian Academy of Dance in Kiev and graduated with honors from the International Slavic University. She was invited to join the prestigious Ukrainian National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre in 2001 immediately upon graduation from the Ukrainian Academy of Dance in Kiev.

Sergey Chumakov and Elena Petrachenko become Dove Of Peace… “Knockout male dancer in Arabian divertissement, Sergey Chumakov” writes Alastair Macaulay, Chief Dance Critic NY Times….moving as one beautiful bird the acclaimed pair create awe-inspiring Dove of Peace in recognition of the 20th Anniversary of the Great Russian Nutcracker and dance Arabian variation as well. Each wearing one ten foot long wing, they swoop, dive and fly as one great white dove with 20 foot wingspan. Chumaokv and Petrachenko’s creation is inspired by work of Stanislav Vlasov from the 1950’s. Vlasov, formed dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet , was original Great Russian Nutcracker choreographer in 1993. The Dove of Peace is a signature element of the 20 year old Great Russian Nutcracker leading Masha and her Nutcracker Prince into the Land of Peace and Harmony (traditionally known as the Land of Sweets). They perform leading roles in Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, Pachita, and more, and are principal dancers with Magdeburg Opera and Ballet Theatre in Germany, among other companies. Chumakov and Petrachenko are graduates of State Academic Choreography Institute in Perm, Russia.

20 years of touring features acclaimed and award-winning Russian ballerinas and danseurs from choreographer, balletmaster and former Bolshoi soloist Stanislov Vlasov and partner Lilia Sabitova, People’s Artist of Russia, in 1993; to former Bolshoi Ballet dancer Marina Alexandrova and Vitaly Zabelin in 1996; IBC Gold Medalists Dmitri Dmitriev and Anna Dorosh in 1997; danseur, Perm graduate and upstart choreographer Anatolie Emelianov and Honored Artist of Russia Tatiana Predenia in 2002; Varna IBC Gold Medalists Cristina and Alexei Terentiev in 2009; acclaimed by the press Alexandra Elagina and Anatolie Ustimov. Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker continues to present the best in ballet and Russian culture for audiences in cities large and small in 48 states. For 20 years ballet novices and aficionados; family members from the youngest to the most senior; and from New York to California and Syracuse to San Antonio have returned again and again to see 40 striking Russian dancers bring the holiday classic to life.

Akiva Talmi Presents Inc. (ATP) is the exclusive North American representation for Moscow Ballet which tours annually to sixty+ cities across the US and Canada. ATP was founded by award-winning Juilliard alumnus, composer, conductor and theatrical producer, Akiva Talmi. ATP produced the “Cynthia Gregory Celebration Tour” with Nancy Reagan as Honorary Chair; “From the Top” PBS TV special featuring NYCB’s Violette Verdy and Itzhak Perlman, “Alexander Godunov” national tour and more. For more information, visit www.akivatalmipresents.com.

East Tour as of October 11, 2012:

Monroe, LA
15-Nov

Dallas, TX
Nov 16 & 17

Shreveport, LA
18-Nov

Montgomery, AL
19-Nov

Gadsden, AL
20-Nov

Jackson MS
21-Nov

Metropolis, IL
23-Nov

Cherokee NC
24-Nov

Little Rock, AR
25-Nov

Lexington, KY
26-Nov

Blacksburg VA
27-Nov

Wheeling, WV
28-Nov

Atlantic City NJ
Nov 29-Dec 2

Wilkes-Barre PA
3-Dec

Albany, NY
4-Dec

Rochester, NY
5-Dec

Easton PA
6-Dec

Syracuse, NY
7-Dec

Somerville NJ
8-Dec

Lockport NY
9-Dec

Muskegon MI
10-Dec

Ashland KY
11-Dec

Danville VA
12-Dec

Morgantown WV
13-Dec

Baltimore, MD
Dec/14 & 15

Bethesda, MD
16-Dec

Charlottesville, VA
Dec 17 & 18

Fairfax, VA
Dec 19 & 20

Greensboro, NC
21-Dec

Knoxville TN
22-Dec

N Charleston, SC
23-Dec

Fort Myers, FL
26-Dec

Lakeland, FL
27-Dec

St. Petersburg, FL
Dec 28 & 29

Sarasota, FL
30-Dec

West Tour

Rincon, WA
10-Nov

Aberdeen, WA
Nov 13 & 14

Yakima WA
15-Nov

Moosejaw, SK, Can
17-Nov

Saskatoon, SK, Can
18-Nov

Regina, SK, Can
19-Nov

Calgary, AB, Can
20-Nov

Great Falls MT
21-Dec

Grand Forks, ND
23-Nov

Sioux Falls, SD
24-Nov

Rapid City, SD
25-Nov

Columbia MO
27-Nov

Bowling Green, KY
Nov 28 & 29

Windsor ON, Can
30-Nov

Cleveland, OH
1-Dec

Rosemont, IL
2-Dec

Ft. Leavenworth KS
3-Dec

Tulsa, OK
4-Dec

St. Louis MO
5-Dec

Green Bay WI
6-Dec

Minneapolis, MN
Dec 7 & 8

Denver, CO
9-Dec

Grand Junction, CO
10-Dec

Albuquerque, NM
11-Dec

Hanford, CA
13-Dec

Los Angeles, CA
14-Dec

Phoenix, AZ
15-Dec

El Paso, TX
16-Dec

Tucson, AZ
Dec 17 & 18

Palm Springs CA
19-Dec

Santa Ynez, CA
20-Dec

Stateline NV
21-Dec

Cupertino, CA
22-Dec

Santa Rosa, CA
23-Dec

Bakersfield, CA
24-Dec

Midland-Odessa, TX
27-Dec

San Antonio, TX
Dec 28 & 29

Beaumont, TX
30-Dec

Pictured: Olga Kifyak in Grand Jete

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