Monday, May 17, 2010

The Australian Ballet

Going to see the ballet recently was certainly not the only performance I have seen alone - movies, rock bands, plays, to name a few. What strikes me about the ballet is that there are other people there alone as well. Mostly young women, there to enjoy the beauty of the art of ballet. I've noticed this phenomenon at both the Australian and New Zealand ballets, having seen quite a number of performances, all but two performances of which I have seen alone. Such an observation as I have made perhaps indicates the quality of the productions and the commitment of ballet aficionados.

This year I have subscribed to the full Australian Ballet season and was very impressed with "The Silver Rose" and "Coppelia". "The Silver Rose" was particularly beautiful. I had high expectations, as one usually does with the work of Graeme Murphy, and they were exceeded. It was perhaps the first ballet that I was absolutely glued to the stage, completely captivated by the story and the dancing. "Coppelia" was beautiful and well-performed as well and I look forward to the final two performances in my subscription this year.

So far I have eaten at the Opera House, lovely little finger sandwiches and a chocolate cookie, and I have eaten at Portobello Cafe, which offers a reasonably priced selection in comparison to its harbour-side rivals. Not sure where I will eat next time, but I will have to wait until November!

1 comment:

  1. One of my favourite luxuries is to go to the cinema alone - preferably in the middle of the day, in the middle of the work week when there's almost no-one there. It's how I saw LOTR I. first, with a cinema full of grannies, and how I celebrated handing in my masters thesis (Inkheart, an excellent choice!) and when I finally hand in my final paper for the semester next week I think I'll try it then, too. Assuming there's anything worth seeing, of course...

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