Rumblings of War at the Ballet

Since we do not know the exact date of our anniversary, but we do know that it was a little over two weeks after we went to the Prom at the Pitman on September 4 of 2008 that we began to date for realsies, Eric and I declared our anniversary to be whatever date the Autumnal Equinox falls upon.  Which means that it is a fluid date.  And it also means that our anniversary was this past Sunday, September 22 this year. And to celebrate, Eric took me to the ballet, because the Alabama Ballet was performing a collection of pieces entitled Ovation here in Gadsden.  And we try never to miss seeing the Alabama Ballet when they come to town.  There are no excuses when ballet is being performed only five minutes from your home.

We sat in the balcony with dear friend Beth and her brilliant former-ballerina-daughter Erin.  Balcony seats are best.  You can see the feet of the dancers better from there.

Ovation consisted of:  Bananchine’s Allegro Brillante (set to Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 75), Petipa’s The Kindom of the Shades Pas De Deux from La Bayadere (Ludwig Minkus), Van Fleteren’s unRAVELed (Maurice Ravel), and Jiří Kylián’s SECHS TÄNZE (Six Dances set to Mozart’s Sechs Deutsche Tänze, KV 571).  Both Allegro Brillante and the la Bayadere Pas De Deux were very classical pieces…more traditional ballet.  UnRAVELed was a modern, sensual piece.  And SECHS TÄNZE was…well…it was absurdly hilarious and frightening all at the same time.  Bare chested, powdered-wigged men cavorted about the stage with wild-haired common girls.  There was much skirt-flipping and flirting, and scary rolling black ball gowns worn by saucy young men.  And rumblings.  Of war?  My interpretation may be completely wrong, but I felt that it was a commentary on depraved and deposed nobility in the face of war.  Eric felt that the foppish men represented government and that the women perhaps represented the public. Too difficult to describe.  And ridiculous.  Ridiculously great!  You must watch it yourself here.