No.53 Of Lifts, Jumps & Pirorettes

"Bolshoi" I found out last night is Russian for "big". Their theatre is anything but this at the moment because the whole thing has moved to a temporary arrangment whilst the original is renovated. This means we were in a rather small and cosy place perfect for someone who wants to see the faces of both those in the pits blowing their instruments and those on stage blowng ther lungs out whilst piroretting.

It was a new production of a ballet called Bright Spring. I think it must have been a friends and family night last night. The auditorium was stuffed full of loads of girls no older than 16 each as thin as a stick of celery all looking like aspiring ballerinas. They were there with their siblings (just as stick shaped) and their not so stick shaped Mothers.

We arrived to our seats late because four in my party were wearing heels which prevented us walking up two flights of stairs. Instead, we queued for a lift which took us up two floors only after three bells had sounded indicating the start of the ballet. The Russians by the way, may have got the first man in space but they yet to get me in a lift which inspires confidence.

The lead ballerina, Nina Kaptsova, was mighty. And wow could she pirorette. As a kid I could never understand how they could spin so many times without getting dizzy and fall over. But then I figured that they would probably spin 15 times round one way then 15 times back the other to cancel it all out....

If I'm not mistaken she also chucked in the odd entrechat-douze too. This, according to my google research of a moment ago, is a jump with beats of the feet or to you and me a jump in the air after which the toe of the left foot touches the heel of the right and vice versa as many times as possible before landing. The Englishman Wayne Sleep holds the record for doing more of these than anyone else in one jump (15 if I recall correctly). I remember this because to show off my knowledge of ballet to a newly made friend at Bar School I once asked her how many entrechat-douzes she could do. "17" she replied "with a rocket up my ass". Jo May your ad libs were great but where are you now?

Off to the Gulag museum today. Think a small early breakfast might be in order..