This weekend, the Bolshoi Ballet will be performing “Taming of the Shrew,” the magnificent ballet created for the Company in 2014 by Jean-Christophe Maillot, Choreographer-Director of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo. It played to sold-out houses then, and also when the Bolshoi subsequently took it to Monte-Carlo, and the three performances in Moscow this weekend are also sell-outs. Audiences at Orcas Center have the opportunity to see this rich and brilliant production streaming live from Moscow on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 6:30 p.m.

In this popular Shakespeare story, many suitors dream of marrying the lovely and docile Bianca. However her father will not let anyone marry her before her elder sister, the ill-tempered shrew Katharina, is herself married. Jean-Christophe Maillot lands a coup with his adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy tailored specifically to the Bolshoi dancers, and achieves a magnetic two hours of breathtaking, nonstop dance, portraying the Bolshoi’s audacity and energy.

Why should this be relevant to audiences on Orcas and across the United States? Saturday evening’s performance offers the opportunity to see for the first time, perhaps, the work of this highly acclaimed choreographer. This production marked the first time that Maillot had choreographed a ballet for a company other than the Ballets de Monte-Carlo since his appointment in 1993. It also represented the first time that a foreign choreographer had been invited to create a full-length work for the Bolshoi.

Tickets are $20, $15 for students, $2 off for Orcas Center members, and may be purchased at www.orcascenter.org or by calling 376-2281 ext. 1 or visiting the Orcas Center Box Office. There are $5 subsidized tickets at the Box Office.