I also wanted a horse.
Neither one came to pass.
Mum, Bethany, McKenzie and I went to the ballet last Saturday.
Four generations of mixed surnames.
I have become a fan of the ballet lately.
I attended the ballet in my teens, but was, by then, a little bored by it.
I first took Kenzie to a Balanchine Christmas ballet when she was barely three years old. She was entranced and sat, wide-eyed, through the whole performance.
Whenever I can get cheap tickets, we toddle off to whatever takes my fancy.
Last year's Nutcracker was an adventure. It was at the tail end of the icestorm and we left with chains on the tyres. About eight miles into the trip, I pulled into a McDonald's parking lot to remove them. Wearing a skirt and pantyhose. None of the men in their big old trucks stopped to help. Maybe I just looked capable. Whatever. It was a great performance, again choreographed by George Balanchine.
One good thing about the economic downturn: bargain tickets for me!
This latest programme was called Rush and Robbins. The first was a visually gorgeous number, Rush, that was choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon.
The last three were choreographed by Jerome Robbins, who collaborated with Balanchine for over 30 years. His ballets seem to be quite radical, with more modern dance influence than I have seen before. The second Robbins number, The Cage, was brilliant, yet very disturbing. It depicted the predatory acts of a group of female insects, who kill a male and engage in various ritual acts. Not at all what you anticipate when you attend the ballet. It was gripping. Kenzie said, "Nana, that was a little scary."
The last dance, The Concert, was hilarious, not an adjective that usually springs to mind when considering the ballet. The audience was totally enthralled. Even Kenzie, whose attention had been wandering slightly. It was an inspired ending to the programme.
So here's what I think.
Try something new.
Maybe you'll like it.
Maybe you won't.
But you'll never know unless you do.
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