Please join me at the ballet! I recently attended a gala performance at the historic Teatro Della Pergola in Florence for an amazing one night event. I had rushed to buy a ticket to this night when I first heard about it a couple of months ago, to see something of the historic Ballet Russe created by famed Sergei Diaghilev in the early 20th century! That alone was enough to attract me but it was performed by a combination of Ukrainian and Russian dancers. I was thrilled to support their effort!

The first photos show the theater when I arrived early and took my seat.

Here’s the historic theater as the orchestra warmed up before the show.

I had a great seat in a box on the first tier and sat in the cool, air-conditioned theater as the audience began to fill all the seats. It was interesting to see how the Florentine ballet-goers chose to dress. Our weather is hotter than Hades, so there was understandably a lot of bare skin. The advertisement for the performance asked for black-tie or party clothes and most people turned out.

Of course it was not possible to video anything but I snuck a few shots in. I’m old! I had to do it so I could remember the evening!

In case you are unfamiliar with this Russian ballet company, here’s a little summary from the app Perplexity, which has become my new best friend recently.

It was a beautiful evening! Russian and Ukrainian dancers, side by side. Peace.