The Robinsons Go to the Ballet
October 22nd, 2008 | Published in Uncategorized
Sweet Fields
My husband and I continued our journey into the world of classical music by going to the fall ballet, Ballets of Our Time, performed by the IU Ballet Theater. It was the first ballet for both of us, if you don’t count the ballet recitals I had to preform in when I was 8, and we really didn’t know what to expect.
The fall ballet was made up of three pieces, Sweet Fields, Endless Night and The Four Temperaments. Sweet Fields had choreography by Twyla Tharp and was sung by the IU Chorus. I really enjoyed both the music and the dancing, as it was stripped down to it’s bare essence. The singing was beautiful and the dancing seemed quite effortless.
The second act, Endless Night, is a piece by Phillip Glass. We’re big Phillip Glass fans, so it was really exciting to hear this piece live. It was performed by a string quartet and a piano soloist and all did a fabulous job. The choreography was brand new and very intregueing. This act also had the benefit of a special guest appearence by a member of the New York Ballet Company. I can’t remember his name off hand, but he was fantastic. It was really pretty amazing to watch him perform.
The third act, The Four Temperaments was our least favorite. The dancing was quite good and kept my attention, but the actual music itself was less than compelling. It took quite a bit of effort to stay focused during this performance.
All in all we had a fabulous time at the ballet. It was by far the best experience we’ve had so far on this trip and we’re looking forward to spring ballet next year.
Robinson Rating: 4 stars