The Nutcracker.  Bridging Ballet Generations.

Leonid Yacobson Ballet Theatre is getting ready for a première of The Nutcracker.

In ballet, skill, traditions, and style are handed down — or rather, footed down — from one generation of dancers to the next. This creates an uninterrupted chain of heritage, and Nikolay Tsiskaridze is this heritage’s living symbol. His one-of-a-kind talent and charisma create a blend of the 20th and 21st century. Russia’s most renowned danseur will present his very own vision of Vasili Vainonen’s classical production, which was first shown on-stage in Leningrad in 1934. At the time, it starred Galina Ulanova herself. Decades went by, and the great Ulanova spotted a unique gift in a young boy by the name of Nikolay Tsiskaridze, becoming his tutor and sharing much of her priceless theatre experience with him. And now it is his turn to shine an all-new spotlight on one of the best productions ever staged in Russia in the 20th century.

Nikolay Tsiskaridze’s The Nutcracker will play at the Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theatre on 3, 4 and 5 December.

Photo by Stanislav Levshin