Hello. I guess I'll introduce myself and explain how I ended up here.
I loved watching ballets on videotapes when I was a child (this was my mother's influence). Several months ago I rediscovered these old productions on tape (I am now in college, btw) and found myself deeply moved by them, as well as fascinated and excited. I started watching other ballets and clips of ballets on the internet and on film, and reading about ballet, trying to understand better what I was seeing.
Recently I had an opportunity to attend my first live performance, from a touring company. It was very exciting at first just to see the dancers actually there, three-dimensional and everything, but the music was taped (very disappointing) and I was also extremely disappointed in the quality of the dancing. Obviously I would like to see more live performances, but there isn't much available where I am ... there is no company in my entire STATE that does classical ballets, other than the Nutcracker (not my favorite) and I wonder how good their Nutcracker would be if they never do other classical ballets.
In the meantime, my family and friends think that I have gone off the deep end. I guess I am an anomaly, since Robert Greskovic says in "Ballet 101": "I doubt anyone becomes a ballet enthusiast by way of video exposure to the art form," but since video exposure is the only exposure I have had, besides one rather dreadful performance that would not have made me an enthusiast, I am an exception.