i have become like a cranky old lady in the audience
i saw nycb tonight, they started the saratoga season this week. first ballet performance i've been to since fixing my ankle, and as predicted, full of indignant thoughts 'i should be able to do that!'.
also, unfortunately some of the audience behaviour was seriously horrible- people continuing to talk (even on a cell phone) when the curtain goes up and the music/dancing starts, and these two people having a totally non-dance-related conversation through 15-20% of one of the pieces. sadly my Death Glare of Annoyance and Moral Outrage has no effect in the dark on people sitting behind me who i won't even turn around to look at. but the NYSSSA kids were acting very nicely right behind me ^^
concerto barocco - liked the choreography better than i remember liking it, and the violinists' playing less than i used to. they had lots of vibrato and other features that don't sound so baroque and bach-ish. before this year i wouldn't have minded (or possibly even noticed particularly) but now it really sticks out. dancing is super-awesome though.
the cage - set for this is big web-like ropes in bright colours hanging around. haven't seen this one before (will see it again tomorrow) and really like this ballet. very powerful dancing, especially at the beginning, and i like the insect-imitating shapes and movements. also stravinsky = yes.
papillons - not so thrilled with this one, both the music and dancing just aren't that terribly interesting. still pleasant enough though. some old ladies sitting in front of me were annoyed at all the modern ballet with minimal costuming and not much in the way of sets, they eventually came to the conclusion that the company had not brought sets with them to saratoga to cut expenses! i really wanted to set them right, there are no sets because the point of those ballets is the dance, but... wouldn't have been right to chime in like that. so i kept quietly reading cryptonomicon ^^
last ballet of the night was theme and variations. the new costumes for this are ridiculously dazzlingly sparkly, so. much. glitter. good clean classical-ish thing anyway, entertaining enough (ok so i never do like polonaises much but beyond that) and like concerto barocco at the beginning of tonight, i always love to see the Balanchine lines of the body in simple positions like various directions of tendu, there's nothing else like it.
also, unfortunately some of the audience behaviour was seriously horrible- people continuing to talk (even on a cell phone) when the curtain goes up and the music/dancing starts, and these two people having a totally non-dance-related conversation through 15-20% of one of the pieces. sadly my Death Glare of Annoyance and Moral Outrage has no effect in the dark on people sitting behind me who i won't even turn around to look at. but the NYSSSA kids were acting very nicely right behind me ^^
concerto barocco - liked the choreography better than i remember liking it, and the violinists' playing less than i used to. they had lots of vibrato and other features that don't sound so baroque and bach-ish. before this year i wouldn't have minded (or possibly even noticed particularly) but now it really sticks out. dancing is super-awesome though.
the cage - set for this is big web-like ropes in bright colours hanging around. haven't seen this one before (will see it again tomorrow) and really like this ballet. very powerful dancing, especially at the beginning, and i like the insect-imitating shapes and movements. also stravinsky = yes.
papillons - not so thrilled with this one, both the music and dancing just aren't that terribly interesting. still pleasant enough though. some old ladies sitting in front of me were annoyed at all the modern ballet with minimal costuming and not much in the way of sets, they eventually came to the conclusion that the company had not brought sets with them to saratoga to cut expenses! i really wanted to set them right, there are no sets because the point of those ballets is the dance, but... wouldn't have been right to chime in like that. so i kept quietly reading cryptonomicon ^^
last ballet of the night was theme and variations. the new costumes for this are ridiculously dazzlingly sparkly, so. much. glitter. good clean classical-ish thing anyway, entertaining enough (ok so i never do like polonaises much but beyond that) and like concerto barocco at the beginning of tonight, i always love to see the Balanchine lines of the body in simple positions like various directions of tendu, there's nothing else like it.