Ode to Alina and Johan

This morning I woke up with an immense sadness. For the past days, since I found out about Alina and Johan leaving the Royal Ballet, I keep thinking about it and feeling that some of the beauty of London and our life here went away.

On the other hand, we were privileged to see them dancing so many times!

We were even lucky enough to see them dancing in their last ballet with RB, Mayerling. Though they both had accidents and were not perfectly fit, they gave everything and were mesmerising. They are amazing dancers and actors. I kept looking at their faces through the binoculars hoping I could record it all in my mind. Their emotions were more telling than any words and their dancing and movements just transformed the story into the most perfect art. I have never seen anything so moving and I also have never seen anyone give so much. Here are some beautiful photos of the Mayerling on 5 June taken by Andrej Uspenski.

Sad to see them leave the Royal Ballet and, most probably, witness one of their last performances together, giving Johan’s age, but so grateful to be have been able to witness such beauty and perfection!