The Nutcracker, Bolero and highlights from some of the world's most popular dance works feature in the Imperial Russian Ballet Company's performance in Napier on November 3.
The three-hour ballet extravaganza is in three acts. The Nutcracker is the dance version of the magical children's tale of Clara and her nutcracker soldier doll, famed for the enduring and recognisable music of Tchaikovsky.
Bolero's movements are as striking and dramatic as the music itself. Composer Ravel was inspired after a visit to a large industrial factory, where the slow regular movement of the assembly lines and the crash of machine and materials led to the masterpiece.
The final act features highlights from Giselle, Carmen, Swan Lake and Le Corsaire, along with Gopak, Ne Me Quittes Pas and the Can Can Surprise.
The company was formed in 1994 by former Bolshoi Theatre soloist Gediminas Taranda. It comprises 40 dancers from the major ballet schools in Moscow and Perm, and top dancers such as Patrick Dupond from Opera de Paris, Yulia Makhalina from the Mariinsky Theatre, Nikolai Tsiskaridze from the Bolshoi Theatre, Julia Kent from American Ballet Theatre and Tamie Kusakari from Japan.
