I adore the ballet. As a classically-trained pianist and a former season ticket holder, I love that the audience is treated to a beautiful combination of sight and sound through the orchestra and the corps de ballet on stage.
I read a rave review of this season’s first program and have been dying to go. So I treated myself to the performance this afternoon.
On a side note, I’m in budget mode. I’ve got $1,000 of property insurance due at the end of this month. Soon, I’ll be dropping $5,000 for my property taxes. Also, I wanted to help offset my cousin’s funeral expenses and while my contribution was a serious financial sacrifice for me, I kept thinking that I have no children of my own, that I have been really blessed in life, and now it was time for me to give…really give. All of this means, I’m now strapped for cash.
Back to the ballet. I felt guilty, but I requested the student discount. I got an Orchestra seat for a mere $20. Couple thoughts were running through my head: 1) the Ballet is financially sound, 2) I was purchasing my tickets an hour before the performance which means I wasn’t taking anyone’s seat, but 3) primarily, I was feeling like a total cheapskate.
As I walked to my seat, I felt better knowing that my company was the lead sponsor for this whole season’s ballet. I work hard for my company, which happens to be the lead sponsor, so I guess it’s ok that I’m getting a discount, right?
The review I had read was spot on. The program was extraordinary. I have never seen the ballet in finer form. The last dance, hailed as the piece de resistance, was exquisite. Had I seen the whole piece, it probably would have ranked as one of my favorite ballets. But no. There were technical difficulties. The curtain slammed down unexpectedly FIVE times. All of those times, the music continued, the dancers danced behind the curtain. The audience couldn’t see anything. It was awful. The fifth time, the curtain was down for almost five minutes. When the dance finished, I fully expected a voice to come onto the loudspeaker explaining to the audience that our next ballet performance would be free. Nope. What a lack of customer service!
I was awfully glad I’d only paid $20 for my tickets, considering I missed out on a good portion of one of the most popular choreographed ballets to have ever shown up on the San Francisco repertoire. At least I was exposed to some really amazing music. Be on the hunt for J.S. Bach’s Chaconne from Partita No. 2.
I went to the same ballet. Stupid curtain slamming kept waking me up! 😉 OK, maybe it was a little too modern for me. Loved the piece right before intermission, though.