Exhibition at former jail includes ballet costumes from the early 19th century and many items never seen outside Russia

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Fifty costumes from the famous Bolshoi theatre and Russian Museum of Ethnography have gone on display in the UK for the first time.

The exhibition at Belfast’s Crumlin Road Gaol includes instantly recognisable ballet styles from Swan Lake as well as costumes from the early 19th century and famous designs from The Golden Cockerel by Rimsky-Korsakov in 1988.

It is the first time much of the collection has been seen outside Russia.

Curator Lidya Kharina, director of the Bolshoi Theatre Museum, said: “Not only is it visually stunning but, importantly, it charts the fascinating journey of the world’s most famous theatre and shows how the rich history of Russian peasant life and the beauty and intrigue of Russian culture have influenced the Bolshoi designs.”

The exhibition is part of UK-Russia Year of Culture 2014 and tells the story of the rise of the Bolshoi and how traditional dress was re-imagined for the stage.

Lord Mayor of Belfast Nichola Mallon described the show as a coup for the city.

She said: “It is very exciting to see such a wonderful exhibition coming to Belfast and to know that we are seeing something that has never been outside Russia before.

“It should prove attractive to so many people not just those interested in dance but opera, history, and politics. Not many of us have had the chance to travel to Russia so to find a little bit in our city and to be able to learn about it and see it first-hand is amazing.”

Belfast previously hosted a Russian costume exhibition in 1895 as part of an art and industrial show.

The exhibition, entitled From Bolshoi to Belfast: The Theatre of Costume, will run until 13 December.

Crumlin Road Gaol in north Belfast closed in 1996 and is one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. Earlier this year the Queen visited the jail accompanied by two former prisoners – Northern Ireland’s first and deputy first ministers, Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness.