I can’t recall ever going to a ballet performance – or perhaps they just weren’t that memorable – but if I ever had to, seeing one at the old Mariinsky Theatre in Russia will make it hard to forget. Lucky for me that was the case last night when after scouring as many nooks and crannies in The Hermitage that we could, we had enough time to rest for a few hours before being whisked away by hotel car to our box seats to watch Les Saisons Russes at the Mariinsky. It was my version of Pretty Woman only there weren’t any loaned jewellery nor opera glasses, which would have come in handy after one late, overly tall gentleman sat in front of me mid-performance. The performance was in 4 parts, I presume representing each season, the best of which was the third called The Swan. Suffice it to say I was touched by the performance and it gave me a better appreciation of a work that I’m only superficially acquainted with. The experience has left me enriched and open to more of it.