When swans die like Phoenix birds

We started ballet training on Wednesday evening after almost one year pause...Better late than never, that's what my 4 extra kilos and I think. My muscles agree, sore as they can be right now but happy...and I've started watching some of my favourite ballet videos on Youtube...Maybe the most well-known piece ever is The Dying Swan, by Camille Saint-Saens, from the Carnival of Animals.

Ive always adored this piece, ever since I was little. It's so condensed, pure and unique...It tells a whole story in just a few minutes...I'm sorry Ana Pavlova's swan is altered by the way they used to film back in the age of "mute" motion pictures, but fortunately another Russian ballerina brought her personal approach to this piece, one I consider the best ballerina ever, Maia Plisetskaya. She danced almost her entire existence and I found this piece from when she was 61 years old! I find it so extraordinarly, I've heard she performed this piece for her 70 years old birthday in a gala they dedicated to her!!!! Here's the video of her performance at 61:

Now when I listen to this piece with extreme pleasure, remembering sunny London back in 2007 and a cello player performing it every day, incessantly, by the Thames, smiling at fugitive long lost memories...:)

Enjoy some ballet videos

I haven't taken them, but they're from the same show, the "Russian Ballet Gala" with dancers from the Balsoi Theatre. It was marvelous, I really enjoyed myself so I didn't try to take pics or videos and risk to be thrown out. Luckily someone did risk it about two weeks ago in another city and posted them on Youtube so you can also see them...My keyboard and mouse are playing tricks on me so I'll write more the next few days. I hope a next weekend I'll be in Bucharest I'll have time to walk as much as I want, all around the places I like...Anyway, here are the videos:

"Russian Dance"



A moment from "Carmen", the quarrel betwen the gipsy women and the moment gets arrested. I wish she could have posted other moments...but I do understand why she couldn't! The show was part of the "Art against drugs" campain, but they do come every year in Romania...