I Believe That Ballet Chooses You

In a recent post I referenced lavender and the fact some of my future pursuits as part of The Edison Project would be pretty effeminate. As you have probably guessed from the post title, this experience involves ballet. And no, it does not involve me donning a tutu, but more so being a spectator. Item #42 – Go to a ballet.

Effeminate or not, ballet was on my list of experiences I wanted to trial, and The Edison Project is designed to encourage me to try new things. With ballet on my list, Hana thoughtfully bought two tickets to see Swan Lake at the Royal Opera house on the 28th July. This was exciting for two reasons. The first was the fact I was going to the ballet, and the second was the fact it was at the Royal Opera House. This is a venue I have always wanted to explore ever since my days as a telecom salesman.

I was particularly happy that the ballet we were going to see was Swan Lake on the basis that it is a story that I am familiar with. However, I found it very difficult to keep up with the story. Whilst I could appreciate a lot of the difficult manoeuvres being performed, I must admit there were times that I zoned out. I was clearly not the only one as others around me were illuminated by the glow of their phones as they played Candy Crush or checked their Facebook feeds.

Amber Scott, an Australian ballet dancer, is quoted as saying “I believe that ballet chooses you”. I have most likely taken this quote completely out of context as I suspect it was more in reference to those who chose to become ballet dancers rather than the spectators, but it perfectly sums up how I felt having experienced my first ballet. I so wanted to enjoy it, but maybe I was forcing something to happen that was not for me. Maybe a more contemporary piece would have been better suited to me.

Taking Thomas Edison’s philosophy, this experience was not a failure. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Royal Opera House and appreciating the architecture. It also allowed me to find out that maybe traditional ballet was not for me and that any future ventures into ballet should be focused on more contemporary pieces. The door is not completely closed on ballet, but I would love to speak to someone more knowledgeable on the topic to get their opinion and recommendations on where to go next with this item.