Russian ballet dancers are dancing with kitchen items to stay sane in quarantine

15 April 2020, 15:52

With its dancers stuck at home in quarantine, the Mikhailovsky Ballet is continuing to do one of the things Russia does best…

At a time when we’re all in need of beauty and creativity, a Russian ballet company has posted hilarious videos of its dancers performing with kitchen items.

Ballet stars of Russia’s Mikhailovsky Theatre perform arabesques, pirouettes and pas de deux with various household items, including a saucepan, a bath towel and a broom.

In a scene from Don Quixote, the ballerina’s fan is replaced by a plate; in Giselle, we’re treated to a rather delicious substitute prop – a saucepan of Russian dumplings (watch below).

Read more: A completely mad handbell arrangement of The Hallelujah Chorus >

In Russia and the world over, theatres and concert venues are closed to contain the spread of coronavirus.

The ballet company posted the video on Facebook about a week ago, and it has since gone viral with more than 600,000 views.

The video was captioned (translated from Russian): “Miss you all! REALLY miss you! #stayhome #takecareofyourself #audience❤️ #mikhailovskytheatre #wearetogether”

Watch these striking ballet dancers revolutionise Ravel's Boléro

Also in the video, we see one of the dancers pirouette all the way around a roundabout, along with a beautiful lift performed in the snow.

“We need to stay positive right now, that’s the message,” principal dancer Ivan Vasiliev told the BBC. “Life might be tough now, but a good mood and a sense of humour can save the world.”

At a time when everything can seem rather serious, it’s rather wonderful to see one of Russia’s top ballet troupes bringing a smile to faces across the world...