Ballet is a mysterious part of my life. In my second adoptive family, I used to take ballet lessons. My crazy mother at the time was really into “Flashdance” and perhaps had some dream that I would become her surrogate dancer or something. In any case, I did fall in love with ballet, but due to my bad memories of her I never really wanted to have anything to do with it once I left that home.
My mom used to take me to the “Nutcracker” when I was young and through my sleepiness I would be fascinated with the art. After I saw “Black Swan“, I was even more interested in seeing the real thing. So, when it was announced that the Royal Moscow Ballet troupe was coming to the UAE, how could I pass up the chance?
The performance was quite wonderful. Now that I’m old enough to appreciate the talent and interpret the story, I quite enjoyed it. I am not sure that their best dancers were the ones performing, but what do I know. In any case, it was beautiful and nice to see.
However, like most events I have attended here, the feeling is that things are done half-ass. I should be fair to note that just 40 years ago people here were living in tents or clay buildings and the concept of a royal ballet troupe coming to the country was not only foreign, but most likely totally unknown. So, I should give them some credit for that. Still, the venue was makeshift, the seats were uncomfortable and poorly laid out. I could barely see over the top of the person in front of me and if anyone moved in their seats, we all felt it. I am used to performances in proper auditoriums with a real orchestra pit and a sense of sophistication in attending an event where amazing talent is about to be shared. This place just did not lend itself to that kind of feeling, sadly.
Overall, though I am very glad that I got to see the performance. I would like to see it again from better seats and in a nicer venue someday.
Below are a few pics and videos I managed to take.
-T 😀
