It was a balmy December month in New York, which makes for a very unusual holiday season.

And even though we missed the puffy snowflakes and white scenery, we could not be more happy with the turnout we had at our holiday performances.

First we had a beautiful Nutcracker ballet performed by students of Brighton Ballet Theater and staged by the Moscow Ballet. It was a highly professional performance with gorgeous costumes.

Right after that, at IS 228 David A Boody we had a Winter Holiday Concert featured Nutcracker ballet that I staged and choreographed for more than 100 students of IS 228 dance magnet, and it was a huge success. The young dancers were flawless, the costumes fit them perfectly, and the music rolled without a flaw. Special guest dancers from BBT impressed all children and their parents with their tricks and professionalism. It was the first Nutcracker performance presented by BBT in this School’s Auditorium, and the audience – parents, students and school staff – was thrilled. Brooklyn Council member Mark Treyger, who was in the audience even joked that our show was better than on Broadway and agreed that Nutcracker looks better when danced by public school students.

This also accounted for my first full-choreography of the classical ballet play. Before that I staged “Giant Turnip” with BBT’s artistic director at the Leon M. Goldstein Theatre. Now I decided to follow a different direction by adapting the plot of the Nutcracker story just a little bit, so it could be more easy to perform for the public school children.  And the play started with and educational presentation about the ballet, so children could better understand the silent art form. 

After that we had a Winter Holiday Class Concert at BBT, where my students from Brooklyn and Staten Island performed holiday dances on famous Tchaikovsky and Pugni music. I am very proud of my students from Staten Island who for the short period of time could not only learn a complicated dance but also perform it on the high technical and artistic level.

Finally, just yesterday I concluded this dance manifest with an after school show for the IS 98 the Bay Academy. My ballet students in that school performed a beautiful polovetsian dance on Borodin’s music that inspired all of us to perform even more next year and continue to share the beauty of dance.

So it was full and jolly holiday season, with many activities. I wish everyone to get inspiration from holiday performances and be more creative, beautiful and kind next year!

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