Varna International Ballet Competition
The complete collection of the Dancers Series was exhibited for the first time as part of the programme of the Varna International Ballet Competition in 2008, in a joint exhibition with Paola's father, the sculptor Ivan Minekov. The exhibition was opened by the organisers of the Competition, covered by the Bulgarian National Television and attended by Élisabeth Platel. The Dancers paintings received critical acclaim by Prof. Dr. V. V. Vanslov, Director of the Research Institute of Theory and History of Fine Art at The Russian Academy of Arts, Moscow who also attended the exhibition. In 2010 Paola created 3 additional paintings for a Charity Ballet Gala in the Britten Theatre, Royal College of Music in London. The paintings are based on sketches of Celisa Diuana, a dancer from The Royal Ballet and dancers from the Ballet Black Dance Company. In the audience were Dame Vivienne Westwood, Clemency Burton-Hill, Monica Mason &amp; Maina Gielgud.