Now I am a fan of theatre, dance, and Broadway shows but the New York City Ballet is a bit different. For one the music is provided by an orchestra who at times put me to sleep. No manners? Right?
However, I will say that my eyes remained opened for the entirety of the last two acts which were “Opus 19/The Dreamer” choreographed by Jerome Roberts and “Who Cares?” choreographed by George Balanchie. “Interplay,” the first act, was also choreographed by Roberts.
As I was saying the New York City Ballet was boring at first. Then by the last act—“Who Cares”— things picked up once I heard songs like “I Got Rhythm,” “Strike Up the Band,” and “The Man I Love” all by Gershwin. Just like the Nutcracker, “Who Cares” was lively and it had a vague story line of girl meets boy, boy affectionately holds girl when they dance, and girl falls in love with boy.
Also “Who Cares” lived up to of all my expectations of what the ballet should be: romantic, ballerinas in pink tutus, and magical.
Unfortunately, for the first two acts this was not the case. Although most of the movements were graceful and beautiful, I just couldn’t understand for the life of me what the choreographers were trying to convey. This could’ve been avoided if the orchestra added some vocalists. Then, I would’ve been able to connect the dancer's movements with what the vocalist was saying.
Still I was very excited to say I attended the ballet but MsKonflicted would like to know what‘s the point of attending a high cultured event such as the ballet if you don’t even understand what’s going on? Just asking.
Hey MsKonflicted! Bravo on this well written piece! After going to the ballet myself (with you ;-)) I also found myself lost at times with what the choreographers were trying to convey to the audience. Is it possible that due to the birth of more contemporary forms of music, dance and art in general, ballet has lost it's effectiveness and appeal? One can contend that some still appreciate ballet as an art form and they contemplate and create their own meaning of the moves being performed. On the other hand, there may still be others who pretend to fit in with the modern-day bourgeoisie of New York, who wouldn't mind spending over a hundred dollars on tickets to see a performance where things get lost in translation.
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