Dozens of young dancers in Shreveport/Bossier will audition Thursday to perform with the Moscow Ballet in its "Great Russian Nutcracker," at the Strand Theatre in downtown Shreveport. Christy Holden, owner of Power and Grace Dance Studio, said this year the Moscow Ballet will select 60 local dancers to be part of the production.
“They are minor roles. But still, it takes every role to make the picture beautiful," Holden said. "The itty-bitty dancers sometimes are snowflakes. They actually know where they’re supposed to go. You think, how does that little child know where she’s supposed to go? But we’ve practiced it so many times.”
The Moscow Ballet consists of 40 dancers, including Ekaterina Uksusnikova. She will audition and train hundreds of young, aspiring dancers in 20 cities across the country, including Shreveport.
"I love children. I love to work with them. The Nutcracker is a very good ballet for children," Uksusnikova said by phone.
For many local dancers, according to Holden, it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience to dance with a professional company and be backstage with the Moscow Ballet. That, she said, has cachet.
“For them to be able to put that on their resume that from age 6 to 12 I did this. It’s really impressive for the children. It’s great experience," Holden said.
The local dancers who are selected will have six weeks of rehearsals leading up to the performance on Nov. 23. The audition for the" Great Russian Nutcracker" is Thursday, Aug. 29, at 6 p.m., at Power and Grace Dance Studio in Shreveport.