TONIGHT THE RAIN,

today the mist. But then when I walk the quiet around me is delightful.
The swans come out the river towards me, they are rather agressive in a way. The horses uphill come for the carrots and are biteful to each other.
Change of weather!?
I do not remember how old I was when my parents took me to see the ballet-movies from the Bolshow-theater. The first time to see a movie at all is moving enough, but this was thunderstrike to me.
Galina Ulanova was dancing Giselle (1956). And absurd as it sounds perhaps, what I adored most was the madness-scene. The other movie contained scenes from Gounod's Faust and more modern ballet, also very impressive, but had not that same effect.
After that event all I wanted was to dance and that was a completion of my love for reading. At that time I read a biography of Anna Pavlova and was certain that I only would love to dance like her. My mother told me that if I ever would accomplice such an ideal I had to wake up at six o'clock in the morning and start practicing severely. In the biography was mentioned an awakening at least at four o'clock and then never stop practicing at all!
But that was not my aim, I was satisfied to hear music and start dancing where-ever I was.
To make the comparison I shrink a bit back for the technique of photographing and feel more at ease with the composition so far.
I have here the book, found many years later, Days with Ulanavo. It is a book full of black and white photographs, so wonderful to see. And a extensive telling of her life.
Of Giselle-performances and so much more.
Chapter 6 is called Precious Heritage. This chapter deals with the coaching of Katya Maximova for the performance of Giselle. She is a very young girl there.
And if you saw the Zeffirelli movie of La Traviata, you have seen her dance with her husband (Vladimir Vasiliev) in the gipsy/matador-scene, right at the start of the Second Act 2 scene.
Splendid coloured, brilliant scene.
Some time ago, a year, two years ago?, I learned in a paper-article of her death.