A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend the Nutcracker ballet at the Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. The tickets had been a gift and although I had no intention of taking my husband, I asked him if he wanted to go anyway, just to see the look on his face. As I suspected, it was priceless so I asked my friend Dina and she was overjoyed to accompany me.
This beautiful building, a Greek Revival structure that compliments the state capitol building of Raleigh, N.C., hosts two theaters, a concert hall and the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, which alone seats over 2200 people. In the front of the building is a landscaped plaza complete with a large reflecting pool and sculptures. Scattered randomly around the pool are small wire table and chair sets for resting, before or after a performance, or to just sit and take in the cityscape that spreads out in front of the plaza.
Although Dina was familiar with the Nutcracker, I had never seen it before, or any ballet performance for that matter. We found our seats and marveled at the size and decor of the auditorium. Our seats were on the second terrace and we had a great view of the stage along with the orchestra. It was not long before the lights dimmed and the curtain rose.
The backdrops used in these kinds of programs always amaze me. They are nothing more than a sheer curtain with whatever background is needed printed on them. I thought back to my high school days and drama club. We spent just about as much time searching for props and making our humble stage take on the right setting as we did practicing our lines and rehearsing.
The costumes were fabulous and the ballet itself was very entertaining. I remembered why I had never seen it before and that was because I always thought the Nutcracker guy was creepy looking and unfortunately, I still do. I was, however, very familiar with all the music and it suddenly dawned on me the reason for that was Looney Tunes. I can still see Elmer Fudd searching for that waskely wabbit to the tune of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Hey, sometimes the 'country' will just not leave some people.
What captivated me more than anything were the dancers. I had never seen such graceful bodies and long limbs. Later I began to do a search as to whether there were actually prerequisites for becoming a ballerina because most every girl, sometime in their life, wanted to be one. Here is what I found: They should be 5'3" to 5'8" and weigh somewhere between 85 and 130 pounds. They should have a small head, long neck, long arms, long legs, a slender figure and the fortitude to put in long, long hours of training and practice. The information also stated that in the USA, size could vary and that in itself, should be a celebrated concept. That may be true, but there were no 5'2" dancers with short arms, short legs and no neck on the stage.
I wonder if there should be a new ballet company and the only prerequisites would be none of the above. There would be no age limit either, thigh size would not matter, nor weight. True, the grand jete' (those wonderful leaps) might not be too far off the ground and the pirouettes, one of which I did in the clubhouse for the staff, may not look too pretty, but we could sure have some fun, for a day or two....Or, at least until we could no longer move.
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