Leaps and Bounds

The dragons assembling

Saturday 10 August was an interesting and relaxing day in itself, but really, all of the day was a prelude to the main event -  “Swan Lake” by The Bolshoi Ballet at Covent Garden.

During the afternoon, hordes of 21-year-olds converged on the pub / brasserie across the road to celebrate a 21st birthday party. They came in themed teams, Cowboys, Chinese dragons, Highland Gamers, etc, and they got into the swing of things by riding “The Bucking Bull” which had been set up on the patio.

Ride him cowboy!

We had been lucky to get two good seats for the ballet, and, to make a full evening of it, we set off early (in an impossibly crowded bus) to grab the best seats on the terrace overlooking the Piazza, where a pop-up beach had been installed.

The sandy shores of Covent Garden

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ballet was magnificent. Every so often we find ourselves using words which have been robbed of their true meaning by everyday exaggeration, and, on this occasion “awesome” is the word in question. The opening scene was overwhelming in grandeur, activity, musicality and grace.

 

 

 

 

We sat mesmerised and spellbound as the male leads executed faultless and extraordinary leaps, bounds and whirls, while the team precision of the ballet corps and the sheer  perfection of the principal ballerinas  drew well-deserved show-stops throughout.

The spectacle

 

 

 

 

And the music! The skill of the orchestra soloists! The marriage of music, dance and emotion certainly gets to the parts that no other activity can reach.

 

A borrowed picture of the swans

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Yes, we enjoyed the Ballet.