Atlantic City Weekly

The Moscow Ballet's Tochilina Violetta dances the part of the Kissy Doll in the touring company's Great Russion Nutcracker.

Merry Moscow Christmas

By Sandy Posnak

The Moscow Ballet's 'Great Russian Nutcracker' comes back to Borgata --> The Nutcracker Ballet, one of the world's most popular holiday productions, proves that even a common little nutcracker can become an enchanting prince. The Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa will feature two performances of the Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker in the Event Center on Sunday, Dec. 18. This is the second year that the casino is bringing the Moscow troupe's Nutcracker to Atlantic City audiences.

"The customers loved it [last year], so it was pretty much a no-brainer to bring it back, especially for the holiday season," says Larry Mullin, Borgata's executive VP/COO. "Ron Hudson, our director of entertainment, was really championing bringing it here. To have two performances this year is a compliment to the success of last year's show.

"We try to offer a variety of entertainment here. We've had everybody from Pearl Jam to Il Divo and The Nutcracker — a little bit of something for everybody," adds Mullin.

One doesn't have to know a jeté from a pirouette to enjoy the beautiful Tchaikovsky music, the dancing, and the charming story of the Great Russian Nutcracker. The plot involves a young girl named Masha (the Russian name for Clara) who receives a wooden nutcracker doll as a gift from her Uncle Drosselmeir. After stealing downstairs late at night to dance with her new doll, Masha becomes involved in a series of adventures with it. Eventually, the nutcracker amazingly comes to life as the handsome Nutcracker Prince, and he and Masha fall in love. The story is based on the book The Nutcracker and the Mouse by E.T.A. Hoffman.

The stars of the Moscow Ballet's Nutcracker are among the crème de la crème of Russian ballet. Prima Ballerina Irina Surneva stars as Masha, and principal male dancer Anatoli Emelianov, a graduate of the Moscow's prestigious Perm Choreographic College, also serves as choreographer and artistic director of the production.

"It's quite a cast," said Great Russian Nutcracker co-producer Mary Talmi during an interview with Atlantic City Weekly. "Many of the cast members were in last year's show, but Surneva is new to us, and I'm thrilled to have her because she's a former Bolshoi [Ballet] soloist and she was also recently named an Honored Artist of Russia." The honor is one of the highest awards accorded Russian dancers.

Emelianov has earned international acclaim for his progressive style and non-traditional contemporary ideas. His uniquely flavored interpretation of the Nutcracker story is especially prevalent in Act Two, which finds Masha and the Nutcracker Prince in the Land of Peace and Harmony (rather than in the traditional ballet's Kingdom of Sweets), an undisturbed jungle, free of war and suffering, where all creatures live in unity. In this jungle they encounter puppets that are 12 feet tall, including a three-headed rat king. The act also features a stunning, hand-painted backdrop inspired by French artist Henri Rousseau, depicting playful lions, elephants, peacocks, unicorns and other animals.

Talmi said that new things are incorporated into this year's Nutcracker. "We have some new scenes and some new puppets. A Maypole opens the show's second half, and new musical instruments and carrousel horses add color to the show." She recalled that when the Moscow Ballet's Nutcracker debuted in the United States in 1993, it played in just six cities. "We now have two companies working simultaneously. We do 80 cities and 120 performances; it's a very popular production."

In addition to Moscow Ballet's 50 Russian dancers, 80 students from the Dolente Dance and Fitness Factory in Northfield will also appear in the show, many reprising the roles of snowflakes, butterflies, angels and mice that they played in last year's production. "They had a wonderful time last year, and that's why a lot of them came back," says school proprietor Mary Lynne Dolente-Evans. Dolente-Evans explained that Russian ballerinas taught her the show's choreography, and she in turn taught the dances to the participating students. The youngsters have been diligently rehearsing since October 8 with Dolente-Evans and Marilyn Mc Elroy at the Northfield studio.

The Great Russian Nutcracker can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages. Advance ticket sales indicate that the colorful, high-energy production could become a yearly Borgata tradition. n

The Moscow Ballet Great Russian Nutcracker is featured in the Event Center at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa on Sunday, Dec. 18, at 3 and 7:30pm. Tickets for matinee performance: adults, $25; children ages 12 and younger, $16.50. Tickets for the evening performance are $32 for adults and children. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster at (800)-736-1420, online at www.ticketmaster.com, or at the Borgata box office. Phone 1-866-MY BORGATA for additional information.

If you go "nuts" over trivia, the following Nutcracker Ballet information should prove interesting.

•Peter Tchaikovsky was commissioned to write music for the Nutcracker Ballet in 1891
•The Nutcracker Ballet debuted in St. Petersburg, Russia on Dec. 17, 1892
•The first performance of the Nutcracker was panned by the audience and critics
•A shortened version of the Nutcracker was first performed in the United States in 1940
•The longer, familiar version of the ballet as we know it today, debuted in the United States in 1954