The Jewel of St Petersburg The Jewel of St Petersburg The Jewel of St Petersburg is a 2010 prequel to "The Russian Concubine" and "The Concubine's Secret" by Kate Furnivall. It is about Lydia Ivanova Friss's parents Valentina Ivanova and Jens Friss love, set against the backdrop of Russia. Valentina Ivanova was the daughter of the finance minister to Tsar Nicholas II and an aspiring pianist. She wanted to become a nurse after her younger sister Katya was paralysed from a Bolshevik's bomb. Her father wanted her to marry a Russian Count. Jens Friss was a Danish engineer who came to Russia. He became the
Ballet of the 20th Century Ballet of the 20th Century Ballet of the 20th Century (), was a ballet and contemporary dance company in Brussels, Belgium in 1960, by the French/Swiss choreographer Maurice Béjart. For many years it was the official dance company of the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie. The company was known for including South and East Asian elements in its performances. Bejart had previously founded a company in Paris, which he named first Les Ballets de l'Étoile, and later Ballet Théâtre de Maurice Bejart. When he moved to Brussels in 1960, he relocated the company and renamed it Ballet du XXme Siècle.