Eglevsky Ballet brings balletic artistry of the highest caliber to Long Island and has long been recognized as a prominent, professional company. Under the artistic direction of Laszlo Berdo, Eglevsky Ballet continues its annual holiday tradition of The Nutcracker. Performances will be held at Tilles Center for the Performing Arts, LIU Post – Long Island’s premier concert hall - on Saturday, December 20 at 4:00pm, Sunday, December 21 at 12:00pm and 4:00pm, and Monday, December 22 at 1:00pm. Following the Sunday 12:00pm performance, audience members can attend a Meet and Greet to ask the dancers questions and take photographs. Tickets can be purchased in person at the Tilles Center Box Office, located at 720 Northern Boulevard in Brookville, online at www.tillescenter.org, or by phone at 516-299-3100. Group discounts are available.
Eglevsky Ballet has presented The Nutcracker for the Long Island community for over 50 years. This production, choreographed by distinguished choreographer Laszlo Berdo, features 22 professional dancers, 20 lbs. of falling snow, a 50 ft. growing Christmas tree with hundreds of lights, 40 lbs. of dry ice, and 60 students from the Eglevsky Ballet Training Program. Siblings Lia Cirio and Jeffrey Cirio, Principal Dancers of Boston Ballet, will dance the roles of Sugar Plum and Cavalier, respectively.
Lia Cirio joined Boston Ballet in 2004 as a member of the corps de ballet. She was promoted to second soloist in 2006 and soloist in 2007. From 2008-09, she toured with Trey McIntyre Project, performing throughout the United States and worldwide. Lia returned to Boston Ballet for the 2009-10 season and was named principal dancer in 2010. She was hailed as “one of the most accomplished actress-dancers in the company” by The Patriot Ledger and as “an outstanding performer with tremendous stage presence” during Boston’s tour to Spain.
Jeffrey Cirio joined Boston Ballet in 2009 as a member of the corps de ballet and was awarded the coveted Princess Grace Fellowship the same year. He was promoted to second soloist in 2010, soloist in 2011, and principal dancer in 2012. Jeffrey was heralded as "simply sensational" by The Boston Globe and "fiercely masculine" by Pointe Magazine. His latest efforts have been in the area of choreography, choreographing numerous competition solos, as well as pieces for Boston Ballet Ball, Boston Ballet II, and Ballet Academy East. Jeffrey will premiere his first major work for Boston Ballet in 2015 at the Boston Opera House.
Choreographer Laszlo Berdo rose through the ranks of American ballet companies, beginning as a corps de ballet member at Ballet Austin and ending his twenty year career as a principal dancer with the prestigious Boston Ballet. After retiring from performance, Laszlo focused on teaching and choreography. Many of his former students dance with such notable companies as New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, and many others. His works have been performed by Boston Ballet, the Norwegian National Ballet, the Finnish National Ballet, and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet.
