Picks of the Week

Originally published in The Moscow Times on January 28, 2000

Christmas may be over, but there's still a good reason to take in a performance of "The Nutcracker" at the Bolshoi Theater: Performances come with free access to an exhibit dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the birth of ballet legend Galina Ulanova.

Ulanova, who died two years ago, was one of the greatest ballerinas of modern times. She joined the Bolshoi troupe in 1944 as prima ballerina and continued to teach there after her official retirement in 1962.

So what better place for a commemorative exhibit than the Bolshoi's exhibition hall? On display are the star's stage costumes and ballet shoes, portraits of her by famous artists and photographs from the theater's museum archives. A special photo essay by Mikhail Logvinov gives a slice of life of the "everyday" Ulanova working with her disciples…

Read the full text at The Moscow Times.