Major collaborative effort brings new Nutcracker to Indianapolis
Group Travel Planners can bring their groups to enjoy professional ballet in Indianapolis when the Cincinnati Ballet and the Russian Ballet Academy of Indiana perform “The Nutcracker” this holiday season. Six performances will take place at the Murat Centre Dec. 12 through Dec. 16.
The production will be a collaboration featuring 80 students from the Russian Ballet Academy of Indiana and 36 Cincinnati Ballet professional dancers from around the world.
“This is a great opportunity for Central Indiana residents and visitors to once again see world-class professional ballet, in partnership with the performing arts resources of the Indianapolis community,” said Paul Kaine, executive director of the Cincinnati Ballet. “We’ll have sets and costumes created in St. Petersburg, Russia, the superb students of the Russian Ballet Academy of Indiana and a full orchestra of Indianapolis professional musicians.”
The production will bring a week of employment for approximately 40 local professional musicians, 25 stagehands and 20 ushers, ticket takers and other front-line personnel – with a cumulative economic impact for Indianapolis of more than $1 million.
“All additional opportunities for people to experience professional dance is good for our community,” said Greg Charleston, president of the Arts Council of Indianapolis. “Cincinnati is not just presenting ‘The Nutcracker,’ they are working with musicians, dancers, and artists here in Indianapolis to produce this show, which makes it part of our community as well.”
Mary V. Paul, a lifelong ballet supporter in Indianapolis who served on the Ballet Internationale board of directors before the company folded in 2005, added, “Our community wants to see professional ballet flourish. I know these performances of ‘The Nutcracker’ are going to be a wonderful family entertainment experience. I hope it becomes an annual tradition for Indianapolis.”
Russian Ballet Academy of Indiana artistic director Alyona Yakovlava already has been working with the 80 student dancers chosen to work side-by-side with professional dancers for this production.
“This will be an experience our dancers will cherish for the rest of their lives,” Yakovlava said. “The students haven’t had an opportunity like this since Ballet Internationale closed its doors.”
“For artistic reasons, it’s great to be able to perform in Indianapolis, as these added performances will continue to build the experience of the dancers and give us the opportunity to be seen by a new audience,” said Victoria Morgan, artistic director of the Cincinnati Ballet. “We are looking forward to spending time in Indianapolis and working with the young dancers in their community, as together we rehearse and prepare for this entertaining and lively rendition of The Nutcracker.”
Courtesy of grouptravelblog.com
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