Giselle and other contretemps
Busy week last week.
Dad's graduation ceremony last Thursday, JAM night Friday (word of the night: FWHA!) after doctor's appointment, Giselle in the Park Saturday after work. I had all kinds of things to say about each one, but since I was getting home at insane hours every night and simply falling into bed, not a whole lot got done.
I do have a few comments about Giselle though. I think the outdoor setting was really cool, and really enjoyed the performance even though it was horribly mediocre, but it definitely lost something in the informality. It allowed the children present to run about, and people to feel free to talk loudly throughout the performance, which would not happen in a hushed formal theatre atmosphere. As it was, it was already difficult enough to focus on the performance without all these distractions. And I felt the music definitely didn't sound as good, since it didn't have walls enclosing it and surrounding the audience in it, but that was minor. The children were definitely the bigger distraction.
The performance itself was...sub-par. Even I, who have never taken a ballet class, could see the mistakes, they were so obvious. The corps de ballet was horribly unsynchronised, for one; the leads - except for the main lead, Giselle herself - were wobbly and stiff. Giselle was good, but that was it. And might have been technique problems that I couldn't see with her dancing.
I did, however, like the whole 'bring mats and have a picnic' idea of the event. Even if it contributed to the informality of the thing that made it hard to concentrate on the dance itself, I did enjoy being able to spend the time before the performance chatting and people watching (and discussing) with Ez. It felt like the concert in the park performances in Madison. I guess it is much the same idea, after all. And it's not like I'm not able to block out the distractions and concentrate on the dancers anyway, to a certain extent.
Though I do wish parents would rein in their children. I came close to tripping up some of them, especially when they trampled all over my mats inches from my head, when there was a perfectly wide grass verge for them to step on.
Spent a morning doing the mix tape that's below - y'all should have a listen, I found all kinds of old cartoon songs. My mum was amused when I sang her the Button Moon song. Also made brownies that were purportedly very good.
Also, bought a CD for one song, though I later realised several of the others were songs that I had been looking for as well, so it was more worth it than I had thought anyway; and bought another CD that I later regretted. The former is Libera's New Dawn CD; I bought it for Tallis' Canon. It was just a coincidence - I felt like I was drawn to pick up that CD.
Spent last night and this morning downloading - legally - two Trans-Siberian Orchestra CDs, one Tempest CD, and several Emerson, Lake and Palmer CDs. Couldn't find the Etuden on the site I use, so will have to buy that, I'm afraid. Just finished listening to The Christmas Attic, and now listening to the Tempest CD.
(Just downloaded more stuff - a little Slainte, one Chieftains song (don't know which album to pick), and a Dubliners CD.)
Oh yeah, Happy April Fool's. xD This wasn't a joke though. I'm usually too lazy to plan those.
Dad's graduation ceremony last Thursday, JAM night Friday (word of the night: FWHA!) after doctor's appointment, Giselle in the Park Saturday after work. I had all kinds of things to say about each one, but since I was getting home at insane hours every night and simply falling into bed, not a whole lot got done.
I do have a few comments about Giselle though. I think the outdoor setting was really cool, and really enjoyed the performance even though it was horribly mediocre, but it definitely lost something in the informality. It allowed the children present to run about, and people to feel free to talk loudly throughout the performance, which would not happen in a hushed formal theatre atmosphere. As it was, it was already difficult enough to focus on the performance without all these distractions. And I felt the music definitely didn't sound as good, since it didn't have walls enclosing it and surrounding the audience in it, but that was minor. The children were definitely the bigger distraction.
The performance itself was...sub-par. Even I, who have never taken a ballet class, could see the mistakes, they were so obvious. The corps de ballet was horribly unsynchronised, for one; the leads - except for the main lead, Giselle herself - were wobbly and stiff. Giselle was good, but that was it. And might have been technique problems that I couldn't see with her dancing.
I did, however, like the whole 'bring mats and have a picnic' idea of the event. Even if it contributed to the informality of the thing that made it hard to concentrate on the dance itself, I did enjoy being able to spend the time before the performance chatting and people watching (and discussing) with Ez. It felt like the concert in the park performances in Madison. I guess it is much the same idea, after all. And it's not like I'm not able to block out the distractions and concentrate on the dancers anyway, to a certain extent.
Though I do wish parents would rein in their children. I came close to tripping up some of them, especially when they trampled all over my mats inches from my head, when there was a perfectly wide grass verge for them to step on.
Spent a morning doing the mix tape that's below - y'all should have a listen, I found all kinds of old cartoon songs. My mum was amused when I sang her the Button Moon song. Also made brownies that were purportedly very good.
Also, bought a CD for one song, though I later realised several of the others were songs that I had been looking for as well, so it was more worth it than I had thought anyway; and bought another CD that I later regretted. The former is Libera's New Dawn CD; I bought it for Tallis' Canon. It was just a coincidence - I felt like I was drawn to pick up that CD.
Spent last night and this morning downloading - legally - two Trans-Siberian Orchestra CDs, one Tempest CD, and several Emerson, Lake and Palmer CDs. Couldn't find the Etuden on the site I use, so will have to buy that, I'm afraid. Just finished listening to The Christmas Attic, and now listening to the Tempest CD.
(Just downloaded more stuff - a little Slainte, one Chieftains song (don't know which album to pick), and a Dubliners CD.)
Oh yeah, Happy April Fool's. xD This wasn't a joke though. I'm usually too lazy to plan those.