Dance Theatre Piece POOR LIZA Comes to Boston Tonight, 6/17

One of Russia's most famous actressses, Chulpan Khamatova, along with Bolshoi Theater soloist Andrei Merkuriev, will play for audiences in Boston with POOR LIZA, based on the novel by Nikolay Karamzin. This envelope-pushing choreographed theatrical performance was dreamt up by lauded choreographer Alla Sigalova and composer Leonid Desyatnikov, and produced by Russia's Theatre of Nations. Maestro Artist Management will present the performances in the US.

POOR LIZA is a new, modern take on a classic love story by Nikolay Karamzin (1766-1826) about seduction, betrayal and social conflict: Erast, a young nobleman, pursues and discards a beautiful peasant girl, Liza. In this modern adaptation, the affair plays out through a combination of dance and theater, showing the transcendence of these themes through generations. POOR LIZA is the 2010 winner of Russia's most prestigious theatrical award, the Golden Mask, in the nominations modern dance (best production) and best male part in ballet (Andrei Merkuriev).

JUNE 17TH - John Hancock HALL, BOSTON, MA

The cast features Chulpan Khamatova as Liza, Andrey Merkuriev as Erast. The production team includes music by Leonid Desyatnikov, choreography and stage direction by Alla Sigalova, set design Nikolai Simonov and musical direction by Alexey Goribol.

Merited Artist of the Russian Federation, Recipient of the State Prize of the Russian Federation, Chulpan Khamatova is a graduate of the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts (GITIS). In 1998 she joined the company of the Sovremennik Theatre, where she has played numerous leads, including Patricia Holman in Galina Volchek's production of Erich Marie Remarque's "Three Comrades"; Irina and Masha in Volchek's production of "Three Sisters"; Andrija in Nina Chusova's production of Biljana Srbljanovic's "Family Stories" under the title of "Mamapapasondog"; Katerina in Chusova's production of Alexander Ostrovsky's "The Storm"; Masha Mukhina in Kirill Serebrennikov's production of Mikhail Kononov's "The Naked Pioneer"; Cleopatra in Serebrennikov's production of Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra." Some of her roles in other theatres include: the title role in Alexei Borodin's "The Diary of Anne Frank" at the Russian National Youth Theatre; the title role in Pyotr Shtein's production of A. R. Gurney's "Sylvia" for Yuly Malakyants's Open Theatre.

Khamatova is one of the leading ladies in contemporary Russian film and has worked frequently in Europe. Her best known film is Wolfgang Becker's "Goodbye, Lenin!" Other films include: Vadim Abdrashitov's "The Time of the Dancer," Valery Todorovsky's "Country of the Deaf," Veit Helmer's "Tuvalu," Achim von Borris's "England!," Bakhtyar Khudoinazarov's "Moon Father," Yury Feting and Andrei Kravchuk's "The Christmas Miracle," Lars Kraume's "Advertising Rules!" Michael Sturminger's "The Whore's Son," Andrei Eshpai, Jr. 's "Children of the Arbat," "Ellipsis" and "The Event"; Alexei German, Jr. 's "Garpastum," Alexander Proshkin's "Doctor Zhivago," Filipp Yankovsky's "The Sword Bearer," Garik Sukachyov's "The House of Sun," Vladimir Khotinenko's "72 Meters," Karen Oganesyan's "The Ghost," Alexander Hahn's "Midsummer Madness," Vera Storozheva's "Greek Holiday," Yury Grymov's "The Case of Kukotskiy" and others.

Khamatova is the recipient of a State Prize of the Russian Federation, the Triumph award, a Teffi, the Idol award, a Golden Mask, a Golden Eagle and other prizes.

Andrei Merkuriev was born in Syvtyvkar (Komi Rupublic, Russia). He graduated from the Ufa Choreographic Institute in 1996 and became a soloist with the Komi Republic Ballet the same year. In 1997 he was asked to join the Mikhailovsky ballet in St. Petersburg, also as a soloist. After winning the Silver medal at the Kazan international Ballet Competition in 2001, he was invited to join the Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet in 2001 as a First Soloist. Mr. Merkuriev has been a Leading Soloist with the Bolshoi Ballet since 2006.

Mr. Merkuriev's vast repertoire of leading roles includes Petr in Alexei Ratmansky's "The Bright Stream," Espada and Basil in "Don Quixote," Prince Siegfried in "Swan Lake, " the Prince in the "Nutcracker" (choreography by Nikolay Boyarchikov), Prince Desire in "Sleeping Beauty, " Solor in "La Bayadere, " Pierre in "La Halte de la Cavalerie"(choreography by Petipa), Paris and Valentine in "Faust" (choreography by Boyarchikov), Count Albert in "Giselle," the title role in Mikhail Fokin's "Petrushka," Mercutio and Romeo in Lavrovsky's "Romeo and Juliet," the Nutcracker-Prince in Kirill Simonov's "The Nutcracker, " the Young Drosselmeyer in Simonov's "The Magic Nut, " the title role in Balanchine's "Prodigal Son" and Phlegmatic in his "Four Temperaments". He has danced principal roles in John Neumeier's "Spring and Falland Now and Then, " William Forsythe's "In the Middle, " "Somewhat Elevated" and "Septext " and Balanchine's "La Valse. " Mr. Merkuriev's has had principal roles in ballets by Twyla Tharp (In the Upper Room), Alexei Ratmansky (Russian Seasons and Middle Duo), Balanchine (Tchaikovsky Pas de deux and Rubies), Christopher Wheeldon (Misericordes), and Asaf Messerer (Class-Concert), among others. Mr. Merkuriev created principal roles in three full-length ballets by Alexei Ratmansky: Yan in "The Bolt," Jerome in "The Flames of Paris," and Lucien in "Lost Illusions."

Mr. Merkuriev had several works created on him by choreographers participating in the Bolshoi's New choreography Workshops, and among these are +/- 2 by Viacheslav Samodurov and Old women falling out by Alexei Ratmansky. He has toured widely with both the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet and often appears at international galas. In US, he has most recently appeared in Ratmansky's ballet "Dialogues," alongside Diana Vishneva.

Mr. Merkuriev's awards include the Silver medal at the Open Ballet Competition Arabesque in Perm, Russia (2000); the Silver medal at the Kazan International Ballet Competition in Russia (2001); a National theater award, the Golden Mask, for his performance in William Forsythe's In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated (2005); and the Positano "Leonid Massine" Prize (2008). Mr. Merkuriev is an Honored Artist of the North Ossetia-Alania Republic.

State Theatre of Nations is a unique structure within the system of the Russian cultural institutions. Theatre of Nations develops and implements a variety of theatre programs, organizes and holds national and international festivals, presents the best Russian and foreign productions of all genres and trends, produces its own staging and pursues the ultimate goal of becoming the center for bringing up a new generation of theatre practitioners. Many Theatre of Nations' productions travel to international festivals and win numerous prestigious theatrical awards in Russia and beyond. Theatre of Nations' artistic director is the People Actor of Russia, Evgeny Mironov.

Maestro Artist Management (MAM) isa full-service production, touring and promotion company that focuses on presenting International Artists in a variety of genres, from classical music and dance to theatre and world music, to audiences in the U.S. For more information about this tour and upcoming performances, visit www.maestroartist.com.

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