Ballet at Sochi 2014

[pherank]

No doubt this will disappear quickly, but here is dance footage from the opening ceremony:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00FWkmYUjog

[diane]

Interesting! Thanks for posting.

Were those "characters" from many different ballets in there?

I admit to being a bit miffed by the running commentary by those speakers; as if it were a sports-event.

Oh, wait, it was a sports event.

I think that is one of the main reasons I dislike sports events. The constant, loud blathering of some very opinionated people gets on my nerves. ;)

-d-

[pherank]

Interesting! Thanks for posting.

Were those "characters" from many different ballets in there?

I admit to being a bit miffed by the running commentary by those speakers; as if it were a sports-event.

Oh, wait, it was a sports event.

I think that is one of the main reasons I dislike sports events. The constant, loud blathering of some very opinionated people gets on my nerves. ;)

-d-

Hi Diane,

Thank goodness you didn't hear the American NBC version, peppered with mostly innane commentary. All faintly disrespectful of the Russians. They can't manage to hold it in for even one evening.

Were those "characters" from many different ballets in there?

Yes, the opening ceremony had live 'actors' and dancers playing the part of various Russians from history (inculding Sergei Diaghilev, interestingly enough), and representing famous ballet roles. The ceremonies both recounted Russian history to the rest of the world, and informed the Russian people that it was OK to recognize many artists who were often on the outs with the Soviet/Russian government at one time or another. So many of the writers/composers depicted suffered one way or another under repressive regimes, or didn't fit into cultural norms, or simply left the country never to return (as did Diaghilev). But they were represented, and that must have been a big deal to the Russian people.