A world famous ballet troupe will stage a special performance for His Majesty the King in December as an 80th birthday present from Russian President Vladimir Putin. The renowned ballet from the Mariinsky Theater in Russia will perform at the Thailand Cultural Center on December 6-8. The Russian troupe impressed Her Majesty the Queen during her state visit to Russia in July to commemorate 110 years of ties between Thailand and Russia, and she relayed her impressions of the ballet in her birthday speech to well-wishers on August 12. The Mariinsky ballet was set up in 1783 in Saint Petersburg and has produced several world class performers, including Uliana Lopatkina.