Moscow Festival Ballet Returns to Harris Center

When he founded Moscow Festival Ballet in the late 80s, Artistic Director Sergei Radchenko - legendary principal dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet - sought an independent Russian company built from the highest classical elements of the great Bolshoi and Kirov Ballets. Now a Folsom favorite, Moscow Festival Ballet brings its exquisite dancers back to Stage One for performances of Swan Lake and Giselle. "The dancers of the Moscow Festival Ballet spoke to the soul through the body, performing a magnificent Giselle" (Post and Courier).

Moscow Festival Ballet performs Swan Lake on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 at 2 pm and 7:30 pm. They perform Giselle Thursday, February 8 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $38- $58; Premium $68. 50% Discount for Students with ID; 10% Discount for Wednesday Matinee Single Tickets. Tickets are available online at www.harriscenter.net or from the Harris Center Ticket Office at 916-608-6888 from noon to 6 pm, Monday through Saturday, and two hours before show time. Parking permits are issued at the time of ticket purchase. The Harris Center is located on the west side of the Folsom Lake College campus in Folsom, CA, facing East Bidwell Street.

The Moscow Festival Ballet was founded in 1989, when legendary principal dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet Sergei Radchenko sought to realize his vision of a company which would bring together the highest classical elements of the great Bolshoi and Kirov Ballet companies in an independent new company within the framework of Russian classic ballet. Leading dancers from across Russia have forged under Radchenko's direction an exciting new company staging new productions of timeless classics such as Giselle, Don Quixote, Paquita and Carmen.

Since its inception, the Moscow Festival Ballet has completed tours of Italy, France, Spain, Germany, United Kingdom (including capacity audiences at London's famed Coliseum), Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, United States and the Netherlands. They last performed in Folsom in 2016.

Under the direction of Sergei Radchenko, the Moscow Festival Ballet continues to expand its repertoire. In addition to commissioning new works from within Russia and abroad, the company specializes in Twentieth Century full-length ballets such as Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet, Legend of Love, Stone Flower and The Golden Age. Mr. Radchenko has researched the original choreography and stage productions of several of Marius Petipa's classic ballets, including new productions in the year 2000 of Don Quixote and Paquita, and a recreation of Jules Perrot's and Jean Coralli's Giselle.

Born in 1944, Sergei Radchenko graduated from the Moscow School of Dance in 1964 and then joined the Bolshoi Ballet, where he worked for 25 years. He danced the entire repertoire at the Bolshoi, but enjoyed a special reputation for Spanish dance, particularly the role of the bullfighter in the Bizet-Schedrin Carmen Suite. He is the founder and Artistic Director of the Moscow Festival Ballet, the establishment and development of a young-but-great Russian ballet company being no small feat. Mr. Radchenko presents a large number of master-classes, inviting leading teachers from the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theatres to ensure the continuation of the rich traditions of the Russian classical school.

This Year Marks Seven 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 approximately 400 events attracting upwards of 150,000 annually.

Tickets are available online at www.HarrisCenter.net or from the Harris Center Ticket Office at 916-608-6888 from noon to 6 pm, Monday through Saturday, and two hours before show time.