Moscow Ballet's NUTCRACKER to Return to Detroit's Fox Theatre, 12/22; Tickets on Sale 5/7

Celebrate the beauty of the holidays with the best Russian ballet in the celebrated production of Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker at the Fox Theatre on Sunday, December 22 at 3 p.m.

Tickets ($28, $48, $68, $88 and $122) go on sale Tuesday, May 7 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at OlympiaEntertainment.com, The Fox Theatre and Joe Louis Arena box offices, Hockeytown Authentics in Troy (without service charge) at all Ticketmaster locations and Ticketmaster.com. To charge tickets by phone, call (800) 745-3000. For additional information, call (313) 471-6611. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more by calling Olympia Entertainment's Group Sales at (313) 471-3099.

The company of 40, comprised of award-winning principals and corps de ballet, perform Olympic-worthy leaps, lifts and pirouettes in the classic holiday ballet. To the delight of audiences of all ages, the artists bring humor, charm, athletic prowess and Russian flair to Tchaikovsky's timeless score. The ballet dramatizes the traditional story of Masha meeting her "Prince" and, exclusive to Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker, adds a tribute to world peace as well. The "Dove of Peace," for which two dancers become one bird with a 20 foot wingspan, escorts Masha and Prince to the "Land of Peace and Harmony" where ambassadors from Hispanic, African, Russian, Asian, and European heritages entertain and offer symbolic gifts in the form of playful silk puppets. The 2013 production includes 200 all new, hand-embellished costumes designed by Shakespearean expert Arthur Oliver and created in St Petersburg's oldest theatrical costume shop.

Moscow Ballet - In addition to the Great Russian Nutcracker, company repertory includes time-honored Russian ballets Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty,Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella and more. For over twenty years the company has performed 100 engagements annually in North America in a majority of the top twenty demographic markets. The company's mission and national platform enables it to share the renowned Vaganova training with over 5000 local dance students annually in the "Dance with Us" program. "New Horizons - A Children's Program for Life" is an intensive cultural immersion project that benefits school children and on-going programs Musical Wunderkind, Master Classes and Summer Intensives also touch the lives of many children and young adults. Moscow Ballet's partnership with corporations and not-for-profit organizations over the past 20 years has raised awareness of and revenue for their significant missions and causes. www.moscowballet.com.

Akiva Talmi Presents Inc. (ATP) is the exclusive North American representation for Moscow Ballet which performs annually in seventy cities across the US and Canada. Under ATP management Moscow Ballet has consistently delivered unparalleled Russian artistry and record sales for over 2 decades. The Moscow Ballet tours grew out of ATP's "International Glasnost Tours" in the late 1980's. "Glasnost" featured highlights from the great ballets and the newest contemporary dance coming from Russia at the time as performed by dancers including Vadim Bondar, Svetlana Smirnova and Tatiana Chernobrovkina from Stanislavsky Ballet; Alexei Malykin Bolshoi Ballet; Vladimir Kim and Margarita Kullick Kirov Ballet; Stanislav Fecho and Prima Ballerina Jana Kurova of the National Ballet of Czechoslovakia; Maria Ivanova and Andrei Glazsheider of the Stanislavski and Demirovich Theatres. ATP is founded by award-winning Juilliard School alumnus, composer, conductor and producer, Akiva Talmi. www.nutcracker.com/present