The city of Colorado Springs is renowned for its vibrant culture and holiday cheer. Every year, the Springs Chamber Orchestra performs Tchaikovsky's classic The Nutcracker, while the Colorado Ballet Society and the Colorado Youth Ballet put on a special version of the beloved Christmas story. The World Ballet Series is proud to present an exceptional, multinational ensemble of dancers from leading ballet institutions in Europe, Japan, the United Kingdom, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and beyond. Audiences can experience the captivating world of Cinderella through an enchanting soundscape.
The Oklahoma City Ballet has been the city's professional ballet company for more than 40 years. Founded in 1972 by Russian Ballet dancers Yvonne Chouteau and Miguel Terekhov, it has been delighting audiences with its performances ever since. The Colorado Springs Conservatory is also a great place to enjoy jazz ballets. It offers a unique and innovative program designed to help students understand the depth of muscle memory training to achieve their personal best in classical ballet.
The conservatory's past and present students have gone on to follow prestigious university dance programs and professional careers in dance. Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye began his ballet training at age 16, working with renowned Kirov Ballet dancer, Andrei Bossov, as well as with the Professional Division of the Royal Ballet School of Winnipeg. Kyunsun Park was born in Korea, but received training at the Vaganova Ballet, which gives her performances a unique touch. He trained at the Russian Ballet Academy in Japan, spent three years at the Vaganova Ballet Academy, and performed at the Odessa State Opera and Ballet Theater.
Andrea Lassakova was born in Dolny Kubin (Slovakia) and received her dance training exclusively with Klara Skodova at the Eva Jacz Dance Conservatory, the main training center of the Slovak National Ballet. Kyunsun's delicacy and skill undoubtedly come from her training with Irina Sytnilova (formerly a Mariinksy soloist and associate professor at the Vaganova Russian Ballet Academy) and “Sir of Dance”, Gennady Selutsky, one of the most honored teachers at the Russian Ballet Academy who danced for more than 35 years with the Mariinsky Ballet. As a choreographer, he has created ballets for the Northwest Arkansas Ballet Theater, the Idaho Ballet, the Chicago Repertory Ballet, the Kansas City Ballet, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, the Moving Arts Dance Festival, and the Des Moines Ballet. Colorado Springs is a great place to experience jazz ballets from around the world.
From The Nutcracker to Cinderella to ballets choreographed by Gennady Selutsky himself, audiences can enjoy a unique blend of classical ballet and jazz music that will leave them mesmerized.
