Saint Petersburg Classic Ballet

Gary Lindsey Artist Services, Inc.

The Saint Petersburg Classic Ballet Theatre, under the artistic direction of prima ballerina, Marina Medvetskaya, is one of St. Petersburg's most well-respected ballet companies. Since its founding in 1996, the troupe has performed to acclaim throughout Russia, the states of the former Soviet Union, England and Scandinavia., and beginning with its North American debut during the 2001-2002 season, to more than 100 cities in the U.S. and Canada.

In December, 2005, the company premiered its new full-length production of "The Nutcracker." This holiday attraction has been seen in theatres from Connecticut and New York and from Texas to Florida, including a successful engagement at the Jackie Gleason Theatre of the Performing Arts in Miami Beach. During the 2008-2009 season, “The Nutcracker” will again be available to presenters from mid November through December.

"The Nutcracker" has choreography by Peggy Willis-Aarnio (based on Vasily Vainonen’s 1934 version for the Kirov Ballet) and is danced to the beloved score by Peter Tchaikovsky. This traditional production employs not only 16 of the Saint Petersburg Classic Ballet Theatre's leading soloists and principal dancers from Russia, but eight soloists from the Willis Ballet of Panama City, Florida (U.S. tour producer) and up to 24 local children from your own community, which the company's ballet mistresses will audition and rehearse with the help of a local dance instructor.

St. Petersburg Sasha

Although the company regularly performs to recorded music, it welcomes the opportunity to perform "The Nutcracker" with local orchestras.

For smaller venues, the company, with 12 soloists, is available with a program that includes “Nutcracker” Act II (“Kingdom of the Sweets”) plus other ballets to comprise a full two-hour holiday program.

The company, with 12 dancers, will also tour its “Classical Ballet Gala” in November, 2008, and January through mid February, 2009.

Saint Petersburg Classic Ballet Theatre's founder and director, Marina Medvetskaya, is a disciple of the legendary premier danseur and choreographer, Vakhtang Chaboukiani. She is the former Prima Ballerina of the Tbilisi State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre, where she danced all the leading roles in the classical and contemporary ballet repertoire, as well as working with Alexander Plesetsky and the Bolshoi's Mikhail Lavrovsky. Her company is also the Amber Necklace Winner for Competition in Kalingrad in 1999. The artists in her company, many of whom have been in trained in the exacting classical technique of the Kirov Ballet's Vaganova Ballet Academy, have previously danced with the finest ballet companies of St. Petersburg, including the Kirov, The Maly and the St. Petersburg Ballet Theatre of the late Askold Makarov.

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