Courtesy of: The Morning News
In 2007, a long-time visitor to Aruba decided to make it his second home. Leonid Kozlov, former principal dancer of the Bolshoi and New York City Ballet and star of the Broadway revival of “On Your Toes,” with his wife, prima-ballerina Adriana, settled on the island part-time. Their love of dance involved them with the local dance community, bringing sumptuous productions to the island every holiday season.
Leonid has blazed a stellar career in classical ballet, inspiring young dancers around the world.
Leonid defection to the west is the stuff of movie scripts. He dodged a cadre of KGB agents that surrounded Shrine Auditorium in Los Angles in 1979 to achieve creative freedom and forge a new career.
He was immediately invited to star with the Australian Ballet out of Melbourne, where he first staged his production of The Nutcracker. Eventually, he was invited by George Balanchine to become a lead performer with New York City Ballet, and in 1991 opened the Kozlov Dance Studio, where he met his wife, prima ballerina Adriana.
Leonid and Adriana spend the holidays on Aruba, joined by some of the finest dancers in the Tri-State New York area, during which they offer workshops and star in productions. One of the most beloved holiday traditions in many of the great cities around the world, the staging of “Nutcracker Suite” by Tchaikovsky, was performed for the first time in Aruba at the Cas di Cultura in January of 2008.
Leonid and Adriana have dedicated an enormous amount of time and all their professionalism to this project with the hope of encouraging the appreciation of classical dance amongst island youth. Forty young dancers from the Club di Movimiento will be participating in this year’s production. They hope island visitors will take advantage of this opportunity to enjoy this immortal holiday experience performed with top international stars and the talented Aruban dancers.
This year, they will again welcome Albert Davydov, principal dancer with the New Jersey Ballet to for a special New Year’s Gala performance at the Occidental Grand Resort in Palm Beach on January 1.
He will be dancing a show-stopping pas de deux with young ballet sensation, Sofia Greenbaum. It is call “Diana and Acteon Pas de Deux.” He will also perform an exciting Russian “Gopak” filled with high flying leaps and jumps. The Occidental show will consist of a varied program of classic ballet, folkloric dance, tango and a new work by Leonid Kozlov titled “Impulse,” an intricate jazz on pointe number dance.
The production of “The Nutcracker” features stunning costumes and sets produced by Russian masters. This beautiful production will be performed at Aruba’s Cas di Cultura on Saturday, December 29 at 8:00 PM and on Sunday, December 30 at 4:00 PM. Tickets are 35 Arubian florins, or $20. Tickets are on sale at Cas di Cultura and Van Dorp Bookstores on Caya Milio Croes in Dakota, and also their branch outlets at the Divi Resort, Tamarijn Resort and Holiday Inn. The special New Year’s Day performance is the same price, and tickets can be purchased at the concierge desk in the Occidental Grand Resort in Palm Beach. You can visit their website: www.dancearuba.com for additional information.
