 From Russia, with loveYuma Sun -- Nov 5, 2004 -- Page E1Some beautiful artistry in motion is about to leap Yuma's way, sent from Russia — with love.  The
Moscow Ballet comes to
Yuma for a performance on Thursday at Snider Auditorium. The Moscow Ballet, one of the top classical dance companies in the world, will grace the stage in Yuma on Thursday when it comes to town for a rare performance in such a small community. The ballet's lead choreographer and male dancer said it's Moscow Ballet's honor to bring their talents to a community they know will greatly appreciate their art. "We are very glad that people are coming to the show," Anatoli Emelianov said via a translator during a phone interview from his hotel on the road. "We are really glad for the chance to work for the people there, to show our work for them and try to make this all very beautiful." Moscow Ballet added Yuma to its tour after booking a performance in Phoenix. The Yuma show is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at Snider Auditorium, 400 S. 6th Ave. The performance is brought to town by Yuma Ballet Theatre, as well as a host of smaller sponsors. Proceeds will benefit the local ballet company. Admission is $35 in advance and $40 at the door. Tickets are available at Barnes and Noble. For more information, call 341-1925. Moscow kicked off its 84-city tour of America on Oct. 29 in California. The tour will include performances in such major cities as Baltimore, Dallas, St. Louis, Buffalo and San Diego. The Phoenix show is slated for Nov. 12 at Dodge Theatre. For its time in Yuma, the ballet company will pare down its normal cast of 100 performers to a slate of 12 dancers. Emelianov promised, though, that the performance will be nothing short of splendid. "That is because we work so hard and everything comes from our soul," he said. "We live on the stage. We work from our souls." Instead of performing the full "Great Russian Nutcracker," the Yuma performance will feature a variety of numbers from ballets including "The Nutcracker" and "Swan Lake," as well as from several other Russian dances. Emelianov said audiences have been ecstatic in their approval. "Everyone has applauded," the choreographer and performer said. "Each performance so far, everybody loves it." He added that Moscow Ballet only offers dancers who are considered at the top of the business on the world-wide stage of dance. "We have beautiful dancers," he said, adding that the company is going to make it a beautiful performance."Our goal is to make the best theater in Russia, the best theater in the world." |