Russian ballet to take center stage in April

When a 200-member dance company performs, "big" is the only way to describe it.

The Bolshoi Ballet (Bolshoi meaning "big" in Russian) will perform at 7:30 p.m. April 8 at The Bryce Jordan Center in a show being presented by The Arc of Centre County.

Tickets will go on sale tomorrow at noon and cost $25 and $50 for general seating and $75 for limited gold circle seating. There will also be a special reception after the show with some of the dancers for $150, said Bernie Punt of the center's marketing department.

This is this the ballet's only stop in the Mid-Atlantic region, Punt said, adding that there will be no performance in New England. Since this is the troupe's only stop in the Northeast area, Punt said he expects ticket sales to go well.

The show has been designed to suit a 5,000- to 7,000-person crowd in order to keep the show intimate, he said.

"If ticket sales warrant the addition of more seats, we would gladly fit that many people," Punt said.

The company formally began in the late 1700s, said KT Huckabee Milburn, dance instructor at the University.

After moving theaters a few times, they found their present home at the Bolshoi Theater in 1865.

The company, based in Moscow, is one of the two major dance companies in Russia, with the other based in St. Petersburg, Huckabee Milburn said.

"It should be a very popular performance. They are a fabulous company," she said. "Technically, the dancing is difficult to be equaled anywhere."

The company, which has not toured the U.S. in almost a decade, will highlight classical works such as Don Quixote Suite and La Bayadere during the performance.

Though the show will be a rarity in the area, there is a question of whether it can succeed here. State College's location in such a secluded area might be a drawback, Huckabee Milburn said.

"Dance in this area is hard to get people motivated to see. It's hard to imagine people traveling here from a distance unless they are major ballet buffs," she said.

Punt, however, is optimistic regarding the show's attendance, even in a college town.

"I think the tickets are pricey for a student budget, but for $25, students can see something that has not been in the states for 10 years," Punt said.