Bolshoi Theatre to reopen after major refit

Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre was reopened on Friday evening after a renovation that took six years to complete, and at a cost officially estimated at half a billion pounds, BBC News reported.

On a new rehearsal stage high up in the Bolshoi Theatre, sweat is pouring off some of the world's greatest dancers as they prepare for one of the ballet company's most important seasons.

For six years the main stage of the historic theatre has been dark, but now its glittering chandeliers are shining again.

The theatre closed in 2005 for restoration work, but the job proved much bigger than anyone expected.

Huge sums have been spent on structural work and intricate detailing.

The frescoes and vast quantities of gold leaf have all been replaced. The material was washed with vodka and polished with squirrel tails.

Symbolically, the curtain has lost its hammer and sickle from the Soviet era, while the old insignia on the building's facade has been replaced with the Russian eagle.

Other improvements include a bigger orchestra pit and improved dressing rooms. The rehearsal stage mirrors the main stage directly below, so the dancers know the exact size of the space.