There’s even a collection of armour for war horses! We dressed up in medieval costumes which my brother had made especially for visiting the knight’s hall. My grandmother always supports her beloved grandson and encourages his passion for creating new roles. She’d find special theater workshops which designed unique costumes together. A year later my older brother began to play in youth productions of the Royal Theater in Covent Garden London, but for now he spends hours telling me about the famous military victories and valiant warriors.
Back in the Hermitage is an entire division of little four-legged workers with tails. Of course, these are the Hermitage cats! Each Ermik (that’s the name given to the museum pets) has their own passport and personal veterinary card. The cute animals control and annoy the museum mice.
In the very heart of the city, on Architect Rossi Street, is one of the real pearls of St. Petersburg – the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet, it is one of the oldest ballet schools and enjoys worldwide recognition. I always wanted to dance like a ballerina to classical music.
On one of the wonderful days before Christmas, we were taken to the Mariinsky Theater to see the Nutcracker ballet. It is based on the fairy tale by Hoffmann. At home, my grandmother read us the ballet libretto, so we learnt about the plot and the characters, and the story was very clear to us. The luxurious sets and costumes, the brave prince and the evil Mouse King – in fact all of this impressed my brother. I did not take my eyes off the ballet’s main character, Marie, who is gentle and noble. She was delightfully graceful and beautiful, and her pointe shoes barely touched the ground! That night I danced to Tchaikovsky’s magical music in my dreams.
From then onwards I danced everywhere, and my parents enrolled me in a ballet club. It turned out that dancing is a serious job, but sometimes I just wanted to frolic with my friends. At such moments, my parents gently remind me about my dream. My ballet shoes mustn’t be neglected, and the games can wait!
Recently the whole family watched the animated film “Ballerina”, which is about a girl from an orphanage. She had only one dream – to dance on the stage of the Grand Opera. To this end she trained very hard. Maybe I’m too naive, but I believe in my dream and know that anything is possible. My grandmother says: “If you really want something, you will succeed.”