Russian National Ballet Performing ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘Carmen’ at River Campus
04/03/2017

The Russian National Ballet Theatre returns to the River Campus as part of the 2016-2017 Bank of Missouri Touring Series at Southeast Missouri State University at 7:30 p.m. April 21. The evening will feature a two performances,  “Romeo and Juliet” and “Alberto Alonso’s Carmen.” “While it’s not unusual to perform two full-length ballets in one evening, it’s not all that often we get two classics like this,” said Bob Cerchio, assistant director of Southeast’s Earl and Margie Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts. “It will be an evening of absolute drama and beauty.” The Russian National Ballet Theatre was founded in Moscow during the transitional period of Perestroika in the late 1980s, when many of the great dancers and choreographers of the Soviet Union's ballet institutions were exercising their new-found creative freedom by starting new, vibrant companies dedicated not only to the timeless tradition of classical Russian Ballet but to invigorate this tradition as the Russians began to accept new developments in the dance from around the world. Today, the Russian National Ballet Theatre is its own institution, with over 50 dancers of singular instruction and vast experience, many of whom have been with the company since its inception. In addition to their extensive tour history, the company is currently embarking upon a four-month coast-to-coast tour of the United States. Based on Shakespeare’s tragic love story, “Romeo and Juliet” is the story of two star-crossed lovers trapped between their feuding families set to an incredible ballet score. “Alberto Alonso’s Carmen” centers on the love triangle between Done Jose, the bullfighter Escamillo and the passionate, free-spirited Carmen. Tickets Tickets may be purchased by contacting the River Campus Box Office, located in the Cultural Arts Center, 518 S. Fountain St., weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., by calling (573) 651-2265, or online at RiverCampus.org/romeo-and-juliet-alberto-alonsos-carmen.