The show must go on! Russian ballet dancers perform classical routines from inside their houses amid coronavirus lockdown
- Dancers from Russia’s Mikhailovsky Theatre have been keeping fit in lockdown
- They posted videos of themselves performing popular routines at home
- Video features sections from Don Quixote and Giselle, both well-known ballets
- Principle dancer Ivan Vasiliev said the troupe’s message is to ‘stay positive’
A troupe of Russian ballet dancers have attempted to lift the world’s spirits from lockdown by performing popular routines from home.
Dancers from St Petersburg’s Mikhailovsky Theatre filmed themselves performing sections from ballets including Don Quixote and Giselle and posted it online.
Ivan Vasiliev, the theatre’s principle dancer, said the message is to ‘stay positive about everything’.
Ballet dancers from Russia’s Mikhailovsky Theatre have attempted to life the nation’s spirits during lockdown by performing sections of Don Quixote (left) and Giselle (right) at home
Speaking to the BBC, he added: ‘Life might be tough now, but a good mood and a sense of humour can save the world.’
The routines see dancers replicating the famous ballets using implements found around the house.
One section of Don Quixote sees a fan replaced with a dinner plate.
And the romance of the two main dancers in Giselle is undercut by the addition of a saucepan and spoon.
The Kremlin has stopped short of imposing a countrywide lockdown, though a raft of measures brought forward in recent days has mean a majority of citizens effectively living in isolation.
President Putin had declared a national ‘work from home week’ this week – forbidding all-but essential workers from attending their jobs.
Exchanging the stage for the kitchen meant one dancer had to perform her routine in a very tight space (left) while another accentuated her routine with a broom (right)
Many of the dancers incorporated props found around the home into the ballet, including this dancer who used a towel
That week has now been extended to April 30 as the number of cases rises.
That has been coupled with tough new measures including bans on outdoor exercise and distance-limits on dog walking.
New punishments include seven years in jail for someone who violates quarantine and causes others to die.
Five years in prison awaits anyone caught spreading ‘disinformation’ about the virus, while hefty fines are in place for healthy people who venture out of the house.
Russia confirmed 1,459 new coronavirus infections on Thursday, marking a record one-day increase and bringing the total to 10,131.
The country has confirmed 63 deaths from the virus, though no new figures were released on Thursday.
The video has been viewed tens of thousands of times since being posted online, with principle dancer Ivan Vasiliev (right) saying the message is to ‘stay positive’