First Time for Everything

So, one of the perks of working in the downtown office, ok, really the only perk of working there instead of in a parish, we occassionally get invites and tickets to things I wouldn't normally attend or be invited into.

(sidebar: remind me to tell you the story of the invitation to attend a Reds Game in the owner's box that I had to turn down....)

Yesterday, one of the men on the Finance Council for the Archdiocese had invited a few of the priests who work in the Central Office to the Ballet with his company.  I admit, my mind was racing for a way out, as even though I enjoy the Broadway Series, I tend to be a 'words' person and not visual, so the thought of the ballet was something, well.... let me finish the story.

The company was also hosting a reception before hand, which I was glad to be invited to attend, especially as I hadn't had dinner, and lunch was a handful of pretzels.  Also, as a dyed in the wool extrovert, doing the 'meet and greet' thing is right up my alley.  New friends were made, new connections connected, and a few snacks shared.

However, our revelry in the Green Room was soon to pass, the chimes sounded, the lights dimmed, and off we went to the show arena.  After some initial jostling around for seats, we settled in to see leaps and bounds across the stage, and the wife of my host forced us all to turn in our cell phones so we couldn't check the scores from the Tournament!  Argh!

After some (brief?) announcements, the curtain rises and the show begins.  I admit, my knowledge of Ballet is about as good as my knowledge of particle physics, so I have no idea what to make of it, but I'd give it a go.

The first piece had some definite religious overtones, with the dancers making overt Signs of the Cross several times.  I'm usually hyped up to see if it is afront, but it was respectful, graceful; I would say.  The ten dancers all seemed to be in unison.  My initial impression: enjoyment.

The second piece was the showcase for the night: Sinatra Suites.  They had set five Sinatra songs to dance, in a ballroom style, and again while I have no idea what to look for, the athleticism of the two dancers was certainly impressive.

Third, a clip from Tarantello was played, more on the classical ballet style, it was high energy was about all I can say.

Fourth was, to me, the most interesting.  It was a world premier of 'World Citizen' and featured three 'sets' I would call it.  The opening was very techno, hard beat, electronica.  I have to admit that I enjoyed it tremendously.  The second set was good as well, featuring four dancers than the company routine of the first set.  I found the music in the third set to be jarring, and I was mildly surprised to find that my ears were not bleeding at the end.  It made watching the dancing almost impossible.

All in all, I am very glad I went.  Certainly, I would not go to the Ballet every week, but it is certainly a perk of living downtown that I can walk over and enjoy world class theatre and arts.  A special thanks for the invitation to he who made it.