Swan Lake

So, I saw the second ballet of my life tonight. I didn't fall asleep! (As I am notorious for when I am in the nosebleeds of the Koger center...) As I said to a friend tonight, "I'm not sure how I feel about ballets."

First, let me make it clear that it was beautiful, and the people who were performing were amazingly trained in their art.

But, there was no live orchestra, so already the ballet started out missing a dimension.

Here's my dilemma: you're working with classical music (of which the beauty can be appreciated by moderns and post-moderns, but it does not affect any of us the way in which that style used to affect people), and that classical style music is the background for a style of dance which is no longer popular. It made me think of a museum - artifacts on display. It was educational - infact, I wish I knew more about ballet so that I could have appreciated it more, but I don't think that people can still expect ballet to be inspirational the way it once was. Is it a dying art? (my question partially stemming from the fact that the Koger was less than half full; the smallest amount of people I have ever seen at a major performance in that room) Will it become like Latin? Studied but no longer spoken?

Please don't hate me if you're a ballet dancer.

Oh, and I also found out tonight on Wikipedia that the correct term for a male ballet dancer is "male ballet dancer". Check it out...

Also, the people that live in the country of Andorra have the longest average lifespan of anyone in the world, and some of the lowest taxes of anyone in the world.