One of the things that I love bout being in a large metropolitan area is a chance to soak up culture and the arts. I love spending an afternoon at a museum or an evening at the theater or the opera. However, I can't even remember the last time I went to the ballet. (Maybe I've never gone besides a random recital?) Last night I remedied that by attending a performance of Giselle by the Paris Opera Ballet at the Lincoln Center with a friend. I met up with A., a friend of mine who moved to Manhattan a few months back, for a delicious (if rather pricey) meal at Sapphire, and Indian restaurant on Broadway. After stuffing ourselves with tasty dishes and having a couple of drink, we made our way the couple of blocks over to the Albert Koch Theater to find our seats.
We snapped a few photos on our phones before the start of the performance, but then were chastised. I felt like one of my students who gets busted texting. I may or may not have felt even more like that after I snapped a photo when the ballet had ended, too.
It was an utterly lovely rendition. The athleticism and grace of the dancers were absolutely awe-inspiring -- so much so that I didn't even mind that my nose was running (thank you, allergies) during both acts. The scenery and use of props added perfectly to the story and atmosphere. You could hear the gasps of surprise when the white shrouds of the spirits of jilted women were quickly spirited away.
This trip to NYC is winding down for me. Today is my last day in the archives and tomorrow I'm running a local 5K race and meeting up with a friend from HS days. What are your plans for this weekend? Have you been to the ballet lately?
Funny that you got scolded! It sounds just wonderful. I haven't been in forever either and I really want my kids to see one before too long. Enjoy your final day or two.
ReplyDeleteAh, what a wonderful evening! Enjoy your 5K tomorrow and safe travels out of NYC.
ReplyDeleteThis weekend, in theory I am going to balance some productive time in the lab against the normal weekend cooking/cleaning/running/blogging fun. The "in theory" part is the plan to work ;-)
How fun! A coworker of mine used to have a brother who was the head of the San Francisco Ballet! It was awesome. Funny enough, I only went a few times, but one of the ones I saw was Giselle! I like going to the ballet, but it's probably been about 10 years since I have been... I am glad you had fun! Good luck on your race tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteI think the last ballet I saw was the Nutcracker Suite! This sounds delightful.
ReplyDeleteOn the agenda for the weekend, a visit, perhaps a final one, to a sick friend at a distance.
I read that another blogger saw this ballet recently as well. Sounds amazing! Love that it was a Paris ballet company. :)
ReplyDeleteI went to the ballet in Paris last year, and besides that I have only seen the Nutcracker, which I love!
I can't believe your time in NY is coming to an end already! That went fast!!
Wonderful! You're really maximizing your NYC time! The last ballet I saw was the dance enfolded in the opera, Nixon in China. I made a note then to get out to a full-length ballet soon, but it's been 3 years now . . .
ReplyDelete(did you ever see the Angel episode, Waiting in the Wings, featuring Giselle?)