VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – A youth cast of 72 local children will perform alongside professionals with the Moscow Ballet in the company’s performance of the Great Russian Nutcracker as part of its 2018 Dove of Peace Tour.
The show will make a stop at the Sandler Center for Performing Arts in Virginia Beach on Tuesday, November 27 at 7 p.m. and Wednesday, November 28 at 7 p.m.
Moscow Ballet’s signature Dove of Peace dance (Photo: Moscow Ballet)
The performance centers around the exclusive Dove of Peace role, in which two dancers dance in unison to form a beautiful dove with a 20-foot wingspan in the “Land of Peace and Harmony.” The role encapsulates the Moscow Ballet’s devotion to embracing cultures and creating an environment where world peace can flourish.
Each year, the ballet selects thousands of child Ambassadors of Peace through its “Dance with Us” program to bridge the cultural divides that exist in society by rehearsing and performing with the professional Russian ballerinas and danceurs in their city’s performance of the Great Russian Nutcracker. Nearly 9,000 children audition for parts as snowflakes, mice, snow maidens and party children.
New Horizons is an educational program that immerses children in the Russian culture and teaches them the meaning behind the Great Russian Nutcracker through the instruction of dance steps, the Russian language and a crafts session during which participants create origami Doves of Peace. The classes are taught by a Moscow Ballet ballerina and reach a multitude of children in community organizations such as the Girl Scouts, museums and schools.
Click here to purchase tickets.
