Strictly Bolshoi

Friendship between London and Moscow has always been tenuous, but a young British choreographer named Christopher Wheeldon hopes to ease the tension with a new ballet. He has been invited by Bolshoi Ballet Artistic Director Alexei Ratmansky to create and premiere an original work. This two-part series reveals both the fruit of Wheeldon’s labor on opening night, and his behind-the-scenes battle to mount a daring, semiabstract dance piece in a tradition-bound environment.