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In December 2006, the Marat Daukayev School of Ballet was asked to provide dancers for five performances with the Universal Ballet Company’s production of The Nutcracker. It was a great honor for our school as the Universal Ballet Company (Seoul) is a world class company. Marat Daukayev partnered with its General Director, Julia Moon, and knows many dancers, teachers and coaches in the company.
Everyone gave a tremendous amount of time and effort to make the event successful as we were also busy prepping for our own Nutcracker performance. Being able to rehearse and dance at the Shrine Auditorium with its huge stage and theatre (and undoubtedly L.A.’s best venue for ballet) was an extraordinary experience for our dancers. Leading roles were danced by UBC dancers while our dancers made up the dance party scene, soldiers, bats, and sheep (in a pas de trois/merliton, with a shepherdess and her flock). The choreography was demanding but our students danced with technical ability and wonderful stage presence and were given a terrific mention in the Los Angeles Times
In October 2005, when the Kirov Ballet arrived in Los Angeles to dance THE SLEEPING BEAUTY, several of our students auditioned among dozens of dancers who tried out, and were selected to participate in two dances with the Kirov at the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion. The wonder and awe of rehearsing and being backstage with the best ballet performers in the world was a great experience in itself, but to dance onstage with such ballet stars as Diana Vishneva and Anton Korsekov was an unforgettable delight for our students. It was a thrilling week with wonderful memories, and we look forward to being invited to participate in upcoming ballet performances.
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