I can draw a line now: there were ballets I've seen in the past and there is Bolshoi's Swan Lake. I can not even start describing how perfect it was: perfect kicks, perfect strokes, perfect lifts and all in perfect synchrony.
The tour marks Bolshoi's 50th season and although it's been with a shadow of quiet recent acid attach on it's creative director, the dancers proved yet again they are the best ballet company despite anything.
My personal favourite were lake scenes, where full set of 24 ballerinas are gracefully dancing in white gowns. The lighting on them was so sharp, that it almost hurt your eyes to watch these swans. They were glowing with unearthly whiteness. Quantity does also matter here. The view is so much more rewarding, when big stage is filled with adequate number of great performers. Russia is huge and there is plenty of choice of any kind, but to select the dancers so well and to train them to such precision, must require exceptional skills too. Every single one of them was perfect in its own right, but at the same time they all were part of magical picture. The magical picture that full Opera House came to see. OMG!!! This is the largest Opera Theatre I've been to so far. I am sure Milan's Scala can match it, but I am yet to see it full of people. It felt like the inside of huge hive: hot and busy and with almost everyone fanning themselves, it radiated waves of eternal movement.
Prior to event, as it now became a habit, we went to yet another amazing place, London has to offer for dinner - Opera Tavern. It is very nearby the ROH and, perhaps therefore, we allowed ourselves to stay there longer, than we should have had. The last meters to our box were completed in running pace with usher leading the way. We were almost (god forbid) unfashionably late, but to our defence we had full stomachs of delicious food (and felt rather heavy by just looking at those divinely floaty swans. We do not stand the chance on the stage, ballerinas do not get even to dream of such dinners. Anything more then a salad leave would probably drive them out of business, right? :)). The food was delicious indeed: everything from scotch egg (not my usual choice) and goat's cheese stuffed courgette flowers to mackerel with rhubarb purée and Iberico pork lions, not to mention turrón parfait with yoghurt & orange blossom mousse and apricot sorbet (they really can do it !!! with baked milk desert being something of a stranger options ) was extremely good. We only regret, we had to choose some dishes from the menu with others being left for another time, what effectively means we'll have to return, but with so many good places in town yet to try, who knows when it is to happen.