Ballet stumbles in second half, still amazing to see
I don’t think I have ever been to the ballet before. At least, that was my initial thought when the first male dancer came on stage and the Royal Moscow Ballet’s Tchaikovsky Ballet Gala began. I’m going to stick with this as my first ballet because I honestly have no recollection of seeing any other, which, while weird, means that I am not qualified to talk about this ballet beyond any terms more than either I liked it or I didn’t.
Of course, (in spite of what Facebook would have you believe) few things in life are as simple as a thumbs up or a thumbs down. There were parts that were amazing, parts that were confusing, and one part that was unfortunate.
According to the person I went with, the first dance that I really enjoyed came from “Romeo and Juliette.” I watched in amazement as the female dance soloist did things with her feet and legs that were so quick that I couldn’t believe they were being done even though I was watching it and I had no idea what exactly I was watching, just that I liked it.
The ballet dancer that player the fool in a couple of scenes was great as well, and I enjoyed the cat scene that he was in. That particular dance seemed to convey more about life than many modern day entertainments.
Knowing the music in the first half was helpful. Thanks to Walt Disney’s “Fantasia” and “Sleeping Beauty,” I was able to connect to the Russian Dance, which was beautifully done and the cat dance.
The second half was little more problematic. Fortunately, I was told what it was supposed to be about, but the storyline was a little muddled. Lighting and pantomime were used to great effect, but I wasn’t sure if it was being overdone because that was how it was written, that is how things are done or because the choreographer had no faith in the dancers’ ability to convey the story. From this small sample of one, it seems like ballet may be more about telling a story in abstract.
Unfortunately, one of the background dancers took a fall. She got up and continued, and there was enough activity on stage that she wasn’t the focus. Sometimes that happens in live performances.
I am glad that I went to the ballet. I don’t know how I haven’t gone before. It kind of reminded me of music videos – I had no idea what was going on or what I should look at, but I found it fascinating.
Of course, (in spite of what Facebook would have you believe) few things in life are as simple as a thumbs up or a thumbs down. There were parts that were amazing, parts that were confusing, and one part that was unfortunate.
According to the person I went with, the first dance that I really enjoyed came from “Romeo and Juliette.” I watched in amazement as the female dance soloist did things with her feet and legs that were so quick that I couldn’t believe they were being done even though I was watching it and I had no idea what exactly I was watching, just that I liked it.
The ballet dancer that player the fool in a couple of scenes was great as well, and I enjoyed the cat scene that he was in. That particular dance seemed to convey more about life than many modern day entertainments.
Knowing the music in the first half was helpful. Thanks to Walt Disney’s “Fantasia” and “Sleeping Beauty,” I was able to connect to the Russian Dance, which was beautifully done and the cat dance.
The second half was little more problematic. Fortunately, I was told what it was supposed to be about, but the storyline was a little muddled. Lighting and pantomime were used to great effect, but I wasn’t sure if it was being overdone because that was how it was written, that is how things are done or because the choreographer had no faith in the dancers’ ability to convey the story. From this small sample of one, it seems like ballet may be more about telling a story in abstract.
Unfortunately, one of the background dancers took a fall. She got up and continued, and there was enough activity on stage that she wasn’t the focus. Sometimes that happens in live performances.
I am glad that I went to the ballet. I don’t know how I haven’t gone before. It kind of reminded me of music videos – I had no idea what was going on or what I should look at, but I found it fascinating.