At the Ballet: National Ballet's Summer Mixed Programme (3/5)

I was fortunate enough to attend opening night of the mixed programme last Friday. It was a touch intimidating to be surrounded by obviously wealthy and influential people when I am neither, but I did get to meet one of my favourite people in the world - Rick Mercer. That had me riding on a bit of a high for the whole evening.

Pur ti Miro was the first ballet of the evening. I'll admit it: I just didn't 'get it'. Perhaps that makes me a philistine. Everyone else seemed to love it. I could see that it was technically difficult and I could appreciate the dancers' talents but it didn't move me. I don't go to the ballet often, so maybe if I were a more frequent patron, I would have been more affected by the performance.

Opus 19/The Dreamer. I thought this ballet was beautiful and lyrical. Sonia Rodriguez was stunning; I couldn't take my eyes off her when she was on stage.

West Side Story Suite was definitely the big draw for this programme. I think the dancers must have enjoyed themselves a lot, being able to vocalize their performances with dialogue and singing. Yes, they sing! Most of the performers were solid singers, but Stephanie Hutchison was not. She played Anita (my favourite!) and not only was her singing poor, but she fell while she was dancing. It was very disappointing.

I also felt that the soloist they chose to sing 'Somewhere' wasn't appropriate. It's such a simple, hopeful song and it needs a clean, crisp voice. Instead, an operatic soprano did the honours.

Overall, I enjoyed the evening, but I think with a few tweaks, the performance could definitely improve. As for Pur ti Miro, well, that's just my ignorance shining through.

The Mixed Programme is on stage at the Four Seasons in Toronto until June 13.

For those of you more fashion-minded, I dressed up (as one should!) for opening night:



I apologize for the blurriness; I take all my outfit photos with my iMac since I don't have a tripod/personal photographer.

Dress: Torrid, Bolero: Penningtons, Lace leggings: Torrid, Shoes (not seen): Geox, Jewellery: Torrid, Headband: H&M.