On Saturday night, I had one of the Moscow experiences that everyone (or at least almost every little girl) dreams of, my first night at the Bolshoi.
Though I never had any talent (I believe when I was 6, my ballet teacher suggested that I take up some other activity), when I was a little girl, I loved the ballet. I can’t remember every going, but I know that I read books, and saw movies, and loved the way that ballerinas gracefully moved in whatever space I was in.
That changed, and at some point as an adult, I convinced myself I didn’t like ballet or dance, and I never went.
But then I was in Moscow. And, as I read somewhere recently, Russia makes up for it’s terrible winter, by having a fantastic arts season. So about a month ago, I bought tickets for my first ballet. And I knew it had to be the Bolshoi.
Last night was a miserable night in Moscow. There was an ice storm that turned all of Moscow into a giant skating rink. And of course, I hadn’t picked up my tickets in advance, I had no idea where I was going, and I was sliding across the ice.
I get totally turned around in this city, which meant that I spent 45 minutes in an ice storm wandering around until I found the right place. The result is some pretty spectacular, almost magical pictures of Moscow at night. I eventually found the right box office and managed to pick up my tickets. But then of course, I had no idea where the right theater was because the big Bolshoi Theater is under construction.
1st collector for Moscow Night and Bolshoi
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Wandering around aimlessly, I knowingly went into the wrong theater hoping that the ticket taker would take pity on the poor American girl and point her in the right direction. I was right. ”Devushka (girl),” she said “nyet Bolshoit (not Bolshoi), and pointed me across the square.
With about 10 minutes to spare, I checked my coat, picked up my opera glasses, and raced upstairs to settle in for a magical show.
