Meanwhile, Ballet Internationale dancer Alexi Tyukov has been hired for the season as a principal dancer, Cheiko Oiwa as a soloist, and Maria Tyukova as a member of the corps de ballet. Lydia Lanier, Lauren Post, and Malory Post will serve as supplemental dancers for Swan Lake, which runs February 10-12. Ogulcan Borova and Shelby Dyer, who are currently performing with Tulsa Ballet, will join the company later in the season.
Founded in 1973 as Indianapolis Ballet Theatre, Ballet Internationale was been directed by Aliev from 1994 until it suddenly shut down in November because of financial problems. It employed 27 dancers, many of them Russian-trained.
The positions in Cincinnati were funded by the Clara Noyes Endowment Fund for Ballet Internationale, an independent foundation set up to support the company. Since the group's demise, the fund has worked to provide its dancers with temporary employment and to explore new ways of bringing ballet to Indianapolis.
In a press release, Cincinnati Ballet suggested that its new relationship with Indianapolis could eventually lead to regular performances there.
Cincinnati Ballet has also offered discounts on Swan Lake tickets and hotel rooms to Indianapolis-based ballet lovers. For more information, visit www.cincinnatiballet.com.