“Not everyone noticed“ - ballerinas surprised Almaty residents with an unusual act
How it all began
The video of the performance quickly went viral on social media, racking up over 1.5 million views. In the comments, netizens discussed not only the dance itself but also the reactions of those nearby.
"I'm worried about the man in the background—he didn't manage to get it on film," "I was mostly stressed for the guy in the back who missed everything. When he finally looked up, he didn't even realize what happened," "A beautiful sight! It's just a shame that only foreigners seem to admire it. Locals only have work and exhaustion on their minds; they just don't notice the beauty around them—no one even stopped or spared a glance," commenters wrote.
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Some users saw this as a familiar situation: people being so preoccupied with their own affairs and the daily rush that they fail to notice something extraordinary right in front of them.
The performance was also compared to the famous experiment with violinist Joshua Bell. In 2007, the musician played in the Washington D.C. Metro to see if commuters would stop for live music. Most continued on their way, paying almost no attention to the performance.
Who organized the performance
The performance was organized by Riza Taganova, a soloist at the Abay Kazakh National Opera and Ballet Theater. She has been practicing ballet for about 20 years: she first studied in Shymkent before graduating from the Seleznev Almaty Choreographic School.
According to Riza, the idea to perform in the subway came while she was looking for new formats for her blog. About a year ago, the ballerina returned to the theater after maternity leave and decided to show audiences more of the lives of performers beyond the stage.
"I liked the idea of dancing in the metro immediately. We chose the music literally 20 minutes before filming, and I improvised the choreography right on the spot," she said.
The filming took place in the evening, when the number of passengers was at its peak.
"We filmed in the evening, during the height of rush hour. Passengers mostly reacted positively: some just walked by, while others recognized me and filmed on their phones. I think many were just rushing home from work, so they didn't have time for us," Riza shared.
Following the subway performance, Riza is already thinking about new shoots and looking for interesting locations for future performances.
Balancing theater work, blogging, and raising a two-year-old daughter is no easy task, but the ballerina has no plans to slow down. She wants to continue showcasing ballet outside the theater walls—in places where audiences least expect to see professional artists.
According to her, such experiments help draw attention to ballet and show that encountering art doesn't always require buying a ticket and going to a theater.