How much ballet can you see in one day?

by 2 Comments  

The answer is a lot. Yesterday I took the day off work, collected the children from school at midday and went off to see the Bolshoi rehearse Giselle at the Emirates Palace Hotel. It was wonderful. The director was shouting instructions in Russian and all the dancers were wearing their cool training kit. The quality of dancing was astounding. Olivia and Leo loved it, sadly Bea declared that ballet is her “worst thing” and it was “the worst day of her life”.

All that changed for Bea when we got to the Cultural Foundation for a production of Angelina Ballerina by the English National Ballet. The dancers were dressed as mice, which must make dancing very tricky, and it was very sweet if you are keen on dancing mice. I was pleased to hear Olivia say to a friend that it wasn’t a patch on Giselle, and not surprised when Bea declared the ballet dancers “better than the Bolshoi”. They will be pleased.

giselle.jpg

Fast forward to the evening and Olivia and I are all dressed up, waiting for the actual performance of Giselle to begin. she was the most charming date; kept telling me how happy she was and how beautiful I am. We were both entranced by the first act but sadly by the second she had started to flag. She saw the glorious entrance of the corps de ballet and then crashed out. I followed soon after. It was brilliant and I loved it but I just could not stay awake. I am wondering if I can sneak in this evening just to see the second act.
I guess even for the most ardent balletomane there is only so much you can take in during one day….

Copyright: Helena Frith Powell 2009


2 thoughts on How much ballet can you see in one day?

  • Helena,
    How wonderful to see the Bolshoi rehearsing followed by the evening performance (even 1 act). We lived in Moscow for three years and I can vividly remember our weekly Bolshoi fix (opera or ballet). I studied at the Moscow Conservatory and managed to obtain the best tickets to any performance).
    The dancers you saw were the creme de la creme. The best performers are sent abroad and the second best remain at home, entertaining the locals. Unless, it’s a premier of a new opera or ballet. Enjoy the quality!
    Kind regards,
    Val
    (Australia)

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Helena Frith Powell was born in Sweden to a Swedish mother and Italian father, but grew up mainly in England. She is the author of eleven books, translated into several languages including Chinese and Russian. She wrote the French Mistress column The Sunday Times about life in France for several years. She is a regular contributor to the Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday, The Times, Daily Telegraph, Tatler Magazine and Harper’s Bazaar.

Helena has been the editor of four magazines, including M Magazine, a supplement for the Abu Dhabi-based National Newspaper and FIVE, a high-end fashion glossy, also published in Abu Dhabi. Helena was also editor-in-chief of 360 Life, a quarterly glossy magazine published with the Sports 360 Newspaper in Dubai, part of the Chalhoub Group.

Helena contributes regularly to UK-based newspapers and magazines and holds a Masters in Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge. She is working on a thriller set in Sweden as well as a novel about the relationship between Virginia Woolf and Katherine Mansfield called Sense of an Echo.

In 2022 her short story The Japanese Gardener came second in the Fish Publishing Short Story Prize. One of her stories was also shortlisted for the Bridport Short Story Prize. When she’s not writing, she works as a headhunter for the media and entertainment industry for the Sucherman Group. 

Helena, who was educated at Durham University, lives in the Languedoc region of France with her husband Rupert and their three children.

Bibliography

More France Please, we’re British; Gibson Square 2004

Two Lipsticks and a Lover 2005; Gibson Square (hardback)

All You Need to be Impossibly French; (US version of above) Penguin 2006

Two Lipsticks and a Lover; Arrow Books (paperback) 2007

Ciao Bella Gibson Square; (hardback) 2006

Ciao Bella Gibson Square; (paperback) 2007

So Chic! (French version of Two Lipsticks) Leduc Editions 2008 (also translated into Chinese, Russian and Thai)

More, More France; Gibson Square 2009

To Hell in High Heels; Arrow Books 2009 (also translated into Polish)

The Viva Mayr Diet; Harper Collins 2009

Love in a Warm Climate; Gibson Square 2011

The Ex-Factor; Gibson Square 2013

Smart Women Don’t Get Wrinkles; Gibson Square 2016

The Arnolfini Marriage; Amazon Kindle December 2016

Smart Women Don’t Get Wrinkles (paperback); Gibson Square spring 2018

The Longest Night; Gibson Square spring 2019

 

 

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