This year, three Rentonians, originally from Russia, will dance in Emerald Ballet Theatre’s “The Nutcracker.”
Father Roman Zinovyev; mom Tatiana Liabina, and son Danil Zinovyev will perform in the ballet company’s performances at the Northshore Performing Arts Center in Bothell.
The parents are teachers at EBT and say they’re really not a dancing family so much as they are a regular family with some strange habits, including being a little crazy about ballet.
In the upcoming performances, both parents are Arabian soloists and Roman also plays Mr. Drosselmeyer, while Danil plays Fritz.
Roman and Tatiana started teaching at EBT in Sept. 2011. They are responsible for teaching all of the dancers and Roman in particular leads the boys’ dance, partnering with the older Clara and the Sugar Plum dancers. “The Nutcracker” brings the couple back to their childhood, said Roman.
“The enchanting music of Tchaikovsky always immerses us in real fairy tale,” he said.
The piece is one of his favorites as he likes to see his dancers go from being awkward “ugly ducks” to beautiful “swans.”
“We as teachers (are) always very nervous for every single kid on stage,” said Roman.
It’s like he is taking his first step on stage every time he watches his students in a performance, he said, it’s a feeling he cannot live without.
At home the family tries not to talk about ballet because it is already so much a part of their lives. Roman said it’s hard to coach his own son Danil in ballet because he thinks he’s too critical of him, but added that ballet is hard for young men.
Roman has been involved with ballet for about 24 years. He got started late, he said, when he was 14 years old. His professional career as a principal dancer includes the Samara Academic Theatre Opera and Ballet, the Grigorovich Ballet of Russia and the Sarasota Ballet of Florida. He’s taught in Tennesee, Colorado and Florida in the U.S. In addition to EBT, Roman teaches at P2 Dance Academy in Marysville.
“Sometimes you tell yourself ‘enough,’ but you can’t stop, you can’t do anything else because you love it so much,” said Roman.
Tatiana’s professional career includes the Novosibirsk Academic Theatre Opera and Ballet and the Grigorovich Ballet of Russia. In the U.S. she continued her dance career with the Sarasota Ballet of Florida and the National Ballet of Denver. She also teaches at P2 as well as EBT.
For the company’s upcoming “The Nutcracker” 16-year-old Emeline Settlemyre of Kent will make her debut as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Shane Tice of Seattle will play her Cavalier.
The show is scheduled for 2 p.m., Dec. 6, 7, 13 and 14 at the Northshore Performing Arts Center, 18125 92nd Ave. N.E., Bothell.
Tickets are $20 for children under 17, $31.50 for seniors and $35 for adults and can be purchased by calling 425-984-2471 or visiting npacf.org.
The Evergreen City Ballet will also put on a performance of “The Nutcracker” at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Dec. 20 and 21, at the Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center, 400 S. Second St., Renton. Tickets range from $14 to $32. For more information, call 425-228-6800.
