Moscow Festival Ballet was founded in 1989 when legendary principal dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet Sergei Radchenko brought together the highest classical elements of the great Bolshoi & Kirov Ballets.

Romeo & Juliet, the full-length ballet with Tchaikovsky’s beautiful score and choreography by Elena Radchenko, is the second part of our program.

Carmen, a full-length ballet in one act, was initially banned by the Soviet hierarchy as “disrespectful” to the opera. It has since become, however, popular in the West and a “highly entertaining retelling” of Bizet’s tale. (Sanderson, allmusic.com).