Last night, Arun and I went to the opera house to watch a ballet. We’re lucky, really, because the opera house opened last year after a renovation project that took 12 years to complete. The opera house was gorgeous, and I’ll have to post pictures of it later because I didn’t take my camera. I guess I just don’t feel like a tourist here, knowing that I’ll be living here for an extended period of time so I haven’t felt compelled to haul my camera everywhere. We had box seats and I must say that the hall was probably superior to even the Mariinsky in St. Petersburg. There was gold leaf, ornate architecture, the plush red seats and the gorgeous curtain. What was unusual was that the stage itself seemed to be either marble or granite- not wood. Anyway, the ballet was in a Turkish setting- a fight between the pirates and the gypsies with their beloved princess. Gorgeous costuming and lively music caused everyone to clap in beat frequently during the performance. The highlight, however, for me was Arun’s hilarious commentary throughout the night.
Arun was paying rather close attention to the prima donna’s solo. During the applause, I asked him what he thought, wondering if he caught the wobble at the end of the last pirouette.
Arun: “I thought she did a great job. I liked her costume- it stayed up!”
Realizing that Arun wasn’t really watching the dance, but more the costumes I asked him which of the trio of ballerinas currently on stage he felt was the best.
Arun: “Well, they’re all the same…. One’s shorter than the others”
So that was really the extent of Arun’s knowledge of the ballet.
At one point he got rather excited-
Arun: “Wow, the ballet is a LOT shorter than the opera.”
Me: “That’s the end of the first act.”
Arun: “Oh”
Other great comments included “They’re ballet-fighters!” (referring, of course, to the pirates) and “I like how they run-leap!” (grand jete)
Anyway, what’s really rather impressive is that in the last four weeks, this is the third time he’s been to performance arts. He’s already seen an opera, a theater and now a ballet. That’s really more frequency than his hindi movies back in the States.
We both really did have a good time though!
Arun was paying rather close attention to the prima donna’s solo. During the applause, I asked him what he thought, wondering if he caught the wobble at the end of the last pirouette.
Arun: “I thought she did a great job. I liked her costume- it stayed up!”
Realizing that Arun wasn’t really watching the dance, but more the costumes I asked him which of the trio of ballerinas currently on stage he felt was the best.
Arun: “Well, they’re all the same…. One’s shorter than the others”
So that was really the extent of Arun’s knowledge of the ballet.
At one point he got rather excited-
Arun: “Wow, the ballet is a LOT shorter than the opera.”
Me: “That’s the end of the first act.”
Arun: “Oh”
Other great comments included “They’re ballet-fighters!” (referring, of course, to the pirates) and “I like how they run-leap!” (grand jete)
Anyway, what’s really rather impressive is that in the last four weeks, this is the third time he’s been to performance arts. He’s already seen an opera, a theater and now a ballet. That’s really more frequency than his hindi movies back in the States.
We both really did have a good time though!
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