A Night at the Ballet

I had the opportunity recently to watch two full-length story ballets, which is unusual for me since I don't follow ballet with the same regularity that I follow other classical art forms. The last time I attended a story ballet in person was probably about a decade ago, in San Francisco, where I thought the ballet company was, at that time, the finest performing arts organization in that city. (The opera was a little staid at that time and I heartily disagree with Tilson-Thomas's passionless Mahler.)

I much more prefer the storyless one-acts of Balanchine et al, but I had the opportunity to see these recent two through the eyes of my oldest daughter, who is five. We attended Coppelia at New York City Ballet (Esme pictured with her friend, above) which was Esme's first live ballet performance. I was actually surprised we made it through the whole performance, since the ballet started after my daughter's normal bedtime. I found myself surprisingly pleased by the ballet itself. The music of French composer Delibes added an element of interest for me during the first two acts, which are dominated by mimed/danced storytelling, and then the third act offered a full half hour of satisfying dancing in an elaborate wedding scene. Perhaps it was just that my daughter was enthralled by the whole experience, but I found it refreshing to watch such a traditional performance of a wholesome, delightful show when so much of performance today is about reimagined productions or edgy cynicism.

Following Coppelia, my family watched the San Francisco Ballet's new production of The Nutcracker on TV. I know it's January and like everyone else, we're sick of Christmas stuff, but it was on our TiVo on a Sunday afternoon and somehow it sounded intriguing. I have seen (and performing in) the New York City Ballet production of The Nutcracker countless times, and this production was unlike any of the candy-coated tinsel that is passed off as ballet on so many stages during the holiday season. Taking its inspiration from the 1915 San Francisco World's Fair, the production has a restrained art deco influence. The set for the second act -- marzipan columns dripping with sugared fruits in so many other productions -- consisted only of a simple backdrop echoing the design of the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers. The second act performers represented countries instead of candies or foods: Spain, Arabia, Japan, France etc. instead of Candy Canes, Marzipan, Hot Chocolate and others.

San Francisco's exceptional dancers, including the inestimable Yuan Yuan Tan, brought the highest quality to the dancing. On a cold Sunday afternoon in January, my whole family enjoyed the warmth of The Nutcracker as if we were seeing it for the first time.