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<p>LUZERNE &#8212; The Moscow Ballet invites young dancers to audition for an opportunity to join them onstage when the traveling troupe presents &#8220;The Great Russian Nutcracker&#8221; at the F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre.</p><p>Auditions are set for 5:30 p.m. Oct. 19 at the Joan Harris Centre in Luzerne and young people ages 7 to 16 are welcome to try out. Participants should have at least one year of ballet training and wear dance attire. They may bring pointe shoes.</p><p>Roles to be cast include roles as party children, angels, mice, snowflakes and other supporting characters in the classic show, which will be presented at 7 p.m. Dec. 9 at the Kirby Center as part of the Moscow Ballet&#8217;s 70-city international tour.</p><p>The last time the touring company performed in the area, 69 dancers from five studios participated in the program.</p><p>The auditions will be directed by Olga Aru and dancers chosen for the cast will train over the next several weeks with Elisabeth Harris of the Harris Centre staff. She has choreographed &#8220;The Sleeping Beauty,&#8221; &#8220;Coppelia,&#8221; &#8220;La Fille Mal Gardee,&#8221; &#8220;Swan Lake,&#8221; &#8220;Don Quixote,&#8221; &#8220;Puss in Boots&#8221; and the original work, &#8220;Corciev&#8221; and has been working with the Moscow Ballet since 2000.</p><p>&#8220;It has been such an honor to be working with the Moscow Ballet for the past 15 years,&#8221; Harris said. &#8220;The opportunity this great organization has given to dancers all across the United States cannot be overstated. To give you an understanding of how valued the experience of performing with this troupe is, President Obama&#8217;s daughter Sasha danced the role of a mouse in their 2012 appearance in Washington, D.C.&#8221;</p><p>The Moscow Ballet&#8217;s &#8220;Great Russian Nutcracker&#8221; includes a Dove of Peace with a 20-foot wing span created by two dancers moving as one; Russian folk legends Father Christmas/Ded Moroz and Snow Maiden/Snegurochka, life-size matrushka dolls and whimsical 10-foot tall silk puppets.</p><p>For more information on auditions contact the Joan Harris Centre at 570-287-7977 or visit the school&#8217;s website at www.joanharrisdancers.com.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Regional coordinator Elisabeth Harris announces roles to the children chosen by Moscow Ballet&#8217;s prima ballerina Olga Aru for last year&#8217;s Great Russian Nutcracker. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_Moscow-Ballet-Audition-14-4.jpg</photo0><caption0>Regional coordinator Elisabeth Harris announces roles to the children chosen by Moscow Ballet&#8217;s prima ballerina Olga Aru for last year&#8217;s Great Russian Nutcracker. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photo </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_Moscow-Ballet-Audition-14-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Young dancers audition for last year&#8217;s production of &#8216;The Great Russian Nutcracker.&#8217; </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_Moscow-Ballet-Audition-14-5.jpg</photo1><caption1>Young dancers audition for last year&#8217;s production of &#8216;The Great Russian Nutcracker.&#8217; </caption1><photoCredit1>Submitted photo </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Times Leader Report</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Times Leader&#8217;s arts &amp; entertainment department at 570-991-6109.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Would you like to dance with ‘The Great Russian Nutcracker’ when it comes to the Kirby Center? Here’s your chance