Nutcracker opening in Redding

Winter is here and Christmas looks even better with Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker coming to town.

With exquisite classical ballet dancing, beautiful handcrafted backdrops and life-sized puppets, this holiday classic is sure to mesmerize and captivate audiences. This year the Moscow Ballet will present its Great Russian Nutcracker at the Redding Convention Center on Friday, Nov. 27 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are currently on sale now and can be purchased by visiting www.nutcracker.com or by calling Redding's Convention Center Box Office at (530) 225-4130.

The Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker is particularly exciting this year not only because several new characters have been added, but the performance will also feature local dancers. Over the past 3 months more than 4,000 younger dancers have auditioned for their chance to become part of this Christmas classic. In Redding, California, over 15 younger dancers were chosen for roles to perform on stage with the Great Russian Nutcracker. This list of younger dancers from your area is listed below.

The West Coast Tour stars principal artists Akzhol Mussakhanov and Ekaterina Bortykova as the Prince and Masha. Akzhol Mussakhanov is a 2001 graduate of the State Choreographic School of Kazakhstan. He has danced for the State Opera and Ballet Theatre in Odessa, Ukraine, and has been a soloist at the State Opera and Ballet Theatre of Tatarstan in Kazan, Russia.