Greetings,
As an opera aficionado for many years, I started last year to become interested in ballet. I have now seen several ballets with ABT and with City Ballet. In the area of the vocal art I am able to pick "good' from "great" (or "terrible"). I note that the LEVEL of ballet is higher consistently than that of opera performing. (Well,you cannot be a klutz on the stage). The audiences, including many very young children, are more attentive (and SILENT) and the atmosphere is charged with a certain enthusiasm that to me is reminiscent of the "olden days" of opera.
I am slowly becoming more astute in picking out some of the special steps,moves,over-all choreography. I am often assisted (as I was the other night at Giselle with Nina Ananiashvili)by the audience that "tells me what is great by applause".(Imagine doing that on a high C!!!)
I have a long way to go, but I must say that little by little I am growing more and more enthusiastic, and i hope I can read the opinions of all you EXPERTS and learn from you.This is a reverse of what I do in my opera sites, where I am the one to turn others on to the great singers, and so appreciate what it means to learn from others.
I will be reading and hope to enjoy this incredibly professional forum. Maybe in 50 years I will be able to distinguish a Makarova from a contestant on "So you think you can dance."
Thanks for listening!!!!!!
