Diaghilev

We went to the V&A (Victoria and Albert) to see an exhibit on Diaghilev, the creator of the famous Ballets Russes.

Basically the exhibit was excuse to show the most magnificent ballet costumes : hand-painted silks, futurist creations, diaphanous tutus, richly embroidered maharaja's suits, ikat togas and tiny shoes.  They almost conjured the scenes of Léon Bakst, the music of Stravinsky, the skill of Najinsky.

Videos of a 1964 re-imagining of Les Biches the cocktail party scene from "The Graduate" turned musical dance number.

I fell in love with the drawings Jean Cocteau did of the dancers with their shadow-deep eyes and feathering hands.

Projectors played a performance of Firebird larger than life on the walls of one room; the outline of a ballerina danced against backgrounds of art and fire.

In the museum store, I found funkily-printed silk shirts that almost made me break my rule about not wearing clothes sold by museums.

My heart dances - does that count?
Maria