Le spectacle de ballets
On Friday night a few of us went to see ballet at the Garnier Opera. The first of the two pieces performed was Air with choreography by Saburo Teshigawara and music from John Cage. The performance was very minimalist, accompanied by a grand piano that maybe played two dozen notes throughout the entire 45 minute performance. That left the opera house eerily quiet - quiet enough to hear the dancers breathe.
The second piece, which I think most of us preferred, was entitled Appartement, choreographed by Mats Ek with music written and performed by the Swedish group Fleshquartet. I just found an online review from the debut performance a couple year’s back. I can remember having to sit through hour after hour of my sister’s dance recitals when I was young. They seemed to last days if not years. (Sorry, sis!) But this performance was definitely one of the most entertaining things I’ve ever seen. It was lively, humorous, required remarkable skill, and had great music. I didn’t want it to end, and neither did the rest of the audience judging by the multiple curtain calls.
So now I’ve learned my lesson, sis. Give ballet a chance!