Proper or not, tell me who would have the nerve to shush a kid as she expressed her boredom during the last segment of the Balanchine-Tchaikovsky Spectacular. Two rows diagonally across from our seats was a little girl sitting on her mom’s lap. As Theme and Variations opened onstage she vehemently declared “No. I want milk!" I just had to giggle at this innocence. I didn't hear anybody complain as Mom quietly walked her daughter out of the theatre although I didn’t notice if they ever came back.
Little girls were not in short supply at the ballet, perhaps because it’s the Memorial Day long weekend and it’s also the matinee show and of course it's the American Ballet Company performing. Except for Paloma Herrera, none of the names from the roster of principal dancers rung a bell. It's been a while since I came to the ballet all because with my budget it's not easy on the pocket to keep another subscription. Sometimes I wonder how these dance companies can survive this bad economy.
It even gets better from one part of this Balanchine program to the next. As usual, the dancers were all glitter and the music of Tchaikovsky unsurpassed, although dancers like the most celebrated Mikhail Baryshnikov and Natalia Makarova, whom I have not seen the likes of, still are prominent in my mind.
Jan joined us for the first time and she seemed to have enjoyed herself. I just hope that she got home alright since she was complaining about her aching feet. She said she didn't have any "padding", which she tried to explain but I couldn't understand what she meant and I didn't want to poke deeper. I sure don't want to be in her shoes (pun intended). Celine sort of entertained Jan (so like her) and got the whole story. This whole pointless thing is all about patience which I must slowly and thoughfully exercise since I myself could no longer hide those grey hairs, pull them or paint them. Whatever.
I wonder if the little girl ever got her milk and if so, problem solved! Maybe it was just an excuse, but excuse or not she's entitled to it. She was bored and impatient. In Z generation years, I could be a dinosaur and like this kid boredom and impatience sometimes set in but unlike her I feel obligated to "keep my cool".
Hey, Judy, thanks. You got us the best orchestra seats for a small price and that's "cool".
