At the Ballet

Russia is known for many things, not the least of which is her ability to produce incredible dancers.  In fact, depending upon who you ask (whether or not they are Russian) it is pretty widely accepted that Russia wrote the book on strong, male principles.  From to Baryshnikov, Russia has gifted the world with talented dancers who have not only excelled at ballet, they improved it.  Yet for the past few decades, the Bolshoi and the Russian Ballet has been sans their usual brilliant star.  Enter Ivan Vasiliev, a 17 year old fresh from Kiev.  Ok, so technically he is not Russian, but over the past four years he has received the best in Russian training and has been adopted as a native.  Sunday night, I was lucky enough to watch his performance in the ballet “Flames of Paris”.  The word ‘phenomenal’ does not do his performance justice.  The man could jump four feet in the air and land without a sound. 

As a child, I took ballet (sometimes against my will) for the better part of eleven years, and I always dreamed I would one day attend a professional ballet in a fancy theatre.  I never fathomed that ballet would be in Moscow, in the Bolshoi, performed by arguably one of the best companies in the world with a male principle that is quickly gaining Baryshnikov-like fame.  And this, my dear friends, is why you study abroad…

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