KARACHI, Feb 9: The Dawn in Education Programme has announced that it has selected 100 young individuals from educational institutions across the country with a talent for the performing arts (particularly drama, music and dance) to attend a performance by a visiting troupe from the world famous Bolshoi Ballet Company.

Starting off in Islamabad on Tuesday and Wednesday, the troupe will perform in Lahore on Feb 13 and 14, and in Karachi on Feb 18 and 19. The decision to select and take young achievers to performances by the Bolshoi Theatre Company is in keeping with the objectives of the Dawn in Education Programme, which is aimed at exposing Pakistani creative talent to world-class cultural events, thereby eventually creating a nationwide core of young artistes, who through Dawn, can benefit from this cultural experience.

The troupe's repertoire will include a series of performances from some of the world's best known ballets, including parts from Swan Lake, Les Sylphides, the Snow Maiden, Don Quixote and Carmen, accompanied by music from famed Russian composers such as Tchaikovsky, Rimski, Minkus and Shostakovich as well as from the genius of Chopin, Saint Saens and Bizet.

The Bolshoi theatre troupe, performing in Pakistan for the first time, has been invited by the Volunteer Women's Organization (VWO) in collaboration with the embassy of the Russian Federation. All funds generated by the performances will go towards the expansion of the already existing women's vocational centres and primary schools for children managed by the VWO.

The Dawn Group of Newspapers will be the sole media sponsor under the aegis of the Dawn in Education Programme. This programme was established in 2000 with the objective of encouraging reading in classrooms across the country.

Since that time, Dawn in Education has actively supported a range of education projects targeting children and young adults throughout the country.