Ballet West Rocks!

Last Friday I went to the ballet with my daughters. It was such a treat for me. I got to see world class dance* and have a sweet daughter on each side. Perfect!

This was the kind of ballet I really enjoy. Rather than a lengthy Swan Lake or Giselle, we had three separate ballets. For those of us with a shorter attention span this works out very well.

First off, Songs of the Valley set to American Songs by Aaron Copland for orchestra and baritone. The baritone was Darrell Babidge and the guest conductor was Kurt Bestor. Lots of Western inspired dance. Very accessible to the girls and they enjoyed it. Copland's arrangement of Simple Gifts and the dancing of it was so fine.

The second ballet was Three Preludes set to music by Sergei Rachmaninoff. The only accompaniment was from the piano up on the stage with the dancers... a couple. A simple set made to give the suggestion of a ballet studio with a barre in the middle of the stage. It was breathtaking. Beautiful pas de deux. (Here I must confess that in my many years of ballet class there were quite a lot of daydreams that someday I might be lifted and partnered and made to look absolutely delicate and fragile like these ballerinas. Never happened. I mean really. But those were some very nice daydreams.)

The third and final ballet and big event of the evening was The Dream, based on Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream. Music by Mendelssohn. Oh my. The costuming, the set, the music and the incredible dancing. I loved it. The girls loved it. Darling humor, yet still elegant. Beautifully done. Kudos Ballet West.

The benefactors for this fabulous night of culture were my mom and dad who were relaxing in a luxury hotel somewhere in Puerto Rico. Thanks Mom and Dad for letting us have the tickets. Your granddaughters had a great time. Four generations have sat in those same seats. I thought of Grandma Wright while I was there. How could I not?

Transportation for the night was provided by Richard, in true Grandpa Wright fashion. (My grandparents had season tickets to the ballet and Grandpa was always happy to play chauffeur. Rather than being dropped off in front of Capitol Theater by a black limousine, we would step onto the curb from a beautiful blue Cadillac.)

First, Rich took us to dinner to celebrate Sarah and Emily's very impressive report cards. Well done girls! We're so proud of your hard work. Then he dropped us off and headed back home to take it easy while we enjoyed the ballet. The only glitch was when I called Rich after the ballet to see where he was and when he'd be there to pick us up. "Well... its going to be a little while. I've been pulled over and I'm getting a ticket." Dang! Emily was concerned that Daddy was going to jail. :{ Soon enough, Rich was there to get us. Did you know that a speeding ticket for 5 miles over the speed limit will cost you $90.00? We didn't. Now we do. Here's an impressive stat.... that was Rich's first ever speeding ticket!

It was a lovely evening and I'm so grateful that I could spend it with my daughters and that I have a sweet husband who cheerfully schlepped us around, even after his ticket. That's a real man. No foot stomping, police bad mouthing or otherwise nasty behavior. Thanks for helping to make it a happy night Rich.

*It wasn't til today that I remembered I'd seen this ballet before. The summer before my senior year of high school found me in Paris. I saved up my money and went with a small group of students to France. The big incentive for the trip was that my brother was serving in the France, Paris Mission and I was able to spend some time with him. While we were there a few of us went to The Paris Opera Ballet.

Crazy huh?

What's crazy is the fact that it was 1982.

It was different staging and a different choreographer, but guess what? Ballet West is every bit as good. Ha!