Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker is on tour and hits the State Theater in Minneapolis, MN, Ended 4 Dec 2010

Sporting spectacular new costumes and crackling choreography, this is the Great Russian Nutcracker as you've never seen it before.

We all know and love the classic E.T.A. Hoffmann story, The Nutcracker, which was brought to the stage in 1892 in St. Petersburg (Russia) by Marius Petipa, known as “The Father of Russian Ballet.” And we all know there have been many variations presented worldwide over the years. However, none have been as true to Petipa’s original choreography as Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker, putting it into a class all its own.

Moscow Ballet’s designers, ballet masters, and artists continue to present Petipa’s vision of enchantment and wonder to audiences across North America. The Great Russian Nutcracker is an amazing performance that brings holiday traditions and the grandeur of Russian culture to the stage.

Moscow Ballet’s performance features stunning backdrops—nine in all—larger-than-life puppets and exquisite dancers. It features beautifully crafted props, including, new in 2010, flower-shooting cannons used in Act II in the “Land of Peace and Harmony.” The cannons are currently being artfully crafted to resemble lions, with the animal’s mouth serving as the mouth of the cannon—they are inspired by Peterhof Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia, and its beautiful fountains and gardens that sit on the grounds.

Dates

Opening night: 3 December 2010
Closing night: 4 December 2010