Naperville ballerina to perform with Moscow Ballet Dec. 10

CHICAGO, ILL – This holiday season Naperville's Dilara Naska will do more than dream about the Sugar Plum Fairy, she will share both stage and spotlight with her. The nine-year old Naska has been selected to perform alongside members of the esteemed Moscow Ballet in a performance of “The Great Russian Nutcracker.” The performance takes place at 3 p.m. Dec. 10 at the Rosemont Theatre, 5400 N. River Road, Rosemont.

Naska joins 43 other talented young dancers from Chicago and surrounding suburbs in the heartwarming ballet which, since its inauspicious debut in 1892, has become a popular holiday tradition.

This is the third year the Naperville youngster has had the opportunity to perform in such elite company. With six years of dancing and music lessons under her belt, Naska is almost an old pro when it comes to performing and loves the experience as a way to express her emotions, learn and perfect more challenging steps and spend quality time with her dancing friends.

All of the young dancers chosen to perform with the Moscow Ballet were hand selected after an open and lengthy audition process held in late summer. Overseen by representatives of the Moscow Ballet and Altin Naska, co-founder and artistic director of the Southport Performing Arts Conservatory (SPACE) and also Dilara's father, Naska oversees the 10 weeks of intensive rehearsals that ready the young performers for this opportunity of a lifetime.

“The Moscow Ballet is one of the greatest names in the history of ballet,” said Altin Naska who has developed a strong professional relationship with the group over the past five years. “This is an unforgettable opportunity for the young dancers to share the stage with award-winning and internationally recognized principal dancers such as Karyna Shatkovskaya and Vladimir Tkachenko and is a moment that will last a life time.”

Moscow Ballet's “The Great Russian Nutcracker” has toured America and Canada for 19 years as the largest Russian ballet tour in North America. The production features larger than life puppets, nine hand-painted backdrops with 3-D effect, and hundreds of exquisite costumes.

For more information about “The Great Russian Nutcracker” visit www.nutcracker.com. Tickets for this performance are available through Ticketmaster.