These Ballet Spoofs of the World Cup Are Pure GOOOOOAAAAAALLLS!
June 26, 2018

Whether you’re a die-hard sports fan or Team Bunhead all the way, Cloud & Victory (aka the dancewear company with the world’s cheekiest social media) has found a way for everyone to enjoy this summer’s World Cup.


Exhibit A: Is this a special halftime show?

Nope. It’s just the Mariinsky’s dashing Xander Parish partnering Ada Gonzalez, soloist with the Bucharest National Opera. It’s very clear what’s going on here: The pair decided to rehearse while the English and Panamanian teams took a contact improvisation class. (Couldn’t someone manage these studio schedules better?) But you have to appreciate the footballers’ transfer of weight. They’re really going for it!

A Double Pas de Deux

In this next collaboration, Nicholas Otamendi of Argentina is drawing major inspiration from longtime Mariinsky principal Uliana Lopatkina. Or is it the other way around? We’re giving this 9/10 points for creativity, but Otamendi could afford to work on his swan arms.

And finally, GOOOOAAAALLL!

The Royal Ballet’s Marianela Nuñez is pure perfection. She can do classical. She can do contemporary. She can do soccer. Wait, what?! At least in Cloud & Victory’s wildest dreams she can. The fleet-footed ballerina brings extra flair to her Kitri in London, and she somehow ends up scoring a goal in Russia. Now that’s a truly powerful développé.

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