Bolshoi Theatre

The word “Bolshoi” means “Grand,” and this theatre lives up to that description.  The Bolshoi is Moscow’s oldest opera and ballet house for more than 200 years.  The interior consists of five tiers of gilded boxes and can seat over 2200 people at a performance.  The Bolshoi has gained a world-wide reputation for its famous ballet performances:  Giselle, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and the Nutcracker are still being performed at the Theatre today.  Its own ballet school nutures new ballet dancers.   The Opera’s repertoire has included Tchaikovsky, Glinka, Rachmaninov, Puccini and Verdi.

The Bolshoi has it own museum, founded in 1920, that contains memorablia connected to its many world famous performances.  Many of the theatrical costumes worn by the legendary Russian bass singer Fyodor Shalyapin are displayed in the museum. 

Becoming acquainted with behind-the-scenes activities of the ballet and opera,  and visits to the ballet school and museum is to be enchanted with a grandeur of epic proportions you won’t find anywhere else.