I left this "speedily" and jaunted over to the Russian Web Girls' "Dreams of St. Petersburg" party. Swathed in black ostrich feather boas, each RWG was once again a lovely hostess. Earlier in the day they painted an evocative mural on the walls downstairs transforming the club "Planet 28" into a mysterious and moody dreamscape. Upstairs slides of past and present St. Petersburg flashed on a glittery white wall. A duo of Japanese ballerinas, led by Ballet Mistress Maki Fujita, swirled, pirouetted, and arabesqued their way into our experience. Beginning with an ethereal classic piece in white the ballerinas dancing around and in white sheeting. The second piece was in all black and the three performers writhed and pointed more erotically. The third, a solo, was a modern day Japanese girl, in a girlie fatigue combo, beating against Russian Big Brother ordering commands mixed with techno. The band Black Mama Dharma, a family led by a Slavic father and Indian mother, was phenomenal. Their 10 year old son (drummer) and 8 year old daughter (bass guitar) were excellent. Tristan Louis (Pencom.com), Anya (Fashion designer) and Vanya (Emcore.com) Eliashevich agreed. The blues band mix with Indian strains got everyone into the groove including Ilya (name), Alona Makeevch, and a club full of Russians, new media and non.
(Appeared originally in @The Scene in the @NY newsletter)