Ballet Review: Giselle

Faced with a cold and only the energy to go to one event: the ballet Giselle or a Superbowl party, which would you choose?

Well, I am my mother's daughter, a true Francophile, and a ballet fanatic, so I chose Giselle. I still feel butterflies when the lights dim and a hush falls as the curtain opens and the first dancer takes the stage.

For those of you that don't know the plot - Giselle is about a beautiful young woman, closely guarded by her mother, who happens to have two suitors. One is a young man of means, and one, to use the vernacular, is a boy from the 'hood. The two men have several flamboyant fights over her, and eventually the man of means becomes engaged to someone else - a noble woman.

Poor Giselle is so grief stricken that she collapses - dead from a broken-heart. The second act is full of lovely ghosts, and a number of lovely solos by Giselle with a final challenge between the two suitors.

I loved it. Quite nearly every minute of it. I was struck by how fluid and free the Pennsylvania Ballet is. The lines were not nearly as crisp as the Balanchine-trained New York City Ballet, but there was a certain freedom of movement that seemed to retain more joy than structure. I was startled by this fluidity at first, mistaking it for a lack of training, but after adjusting to it, I found it refreshing.

The Sunday matinee crew was out in full-effect as well! Besides my wonderful hostess, we were surrounded by a tortured young boy of about 6 or 7 years, whose mother was so pleased with the Nutcracker's effects on her two young children that she bought season tickets. This poor young man was NOT one of Giselle's suitors and tired of her nearly immediately. (Oh, he sounds more like a suitor of mine!)

Directly to our right was "Joe" and his elderly wife. The woman was clearly suffering from Alzheimer's or some level of dementia, and every time one of the male dancer's took the stage, she said "Who's that!" - very loudly. Joe was very patient, except during intermission when he nearly caused a half-dozen of us to have heart-attacks by screaming at her "I WILL HOLD THE COATS - GIVE THEM TO ME!"

The young boy, Joe, and his wife were all solemn reminders that we mortals are not so lucky to die from broken hearts. Life continues. It tests our fortitude, it tests our patience, and very rarely do we feel so much joy that we are compelled to dance.

Sudanese Portrait Project

I thought I'd use this format as a way to begin to get some of my thoughts down.

For several years I've wanted to do a large-scale portrait project about genocide. I always thought it would be about my great-grandparents, whose lives and deaths haunt me to a great extent. But after reading a great deal about the horrors in Africa, and particularly after reading "What is the What," I decided that it was more important to talk about current genocide - and a real Diaspora in progress.

My entire existence is owed to my grandfather's participation in the Jewish Diaspora of the mid-twentieth century, so I am keenly aware and have written here before of the impact that has on individuals and the course of their family history.

The other reason for using portraiture, is the connotations it has in the art world. Portraiture came about in the Renaissance, and even earlier in Egypt, as a way for the noble, the royal, and the wealthy to document their lives and their wealth. Using portraiture for a group of people that are currently struggling against a malignant obliteration of everything they know and everything they are does two things: first, it humanizes and personalizes the struggle and secondly, it raises the subject to a level that honors their achievements - even if their only recognized achievement to date is surviving.

I've run my idea past the priests at the church that sponsors the show that I participate in every year that benefits the Southern Sudanese population, and they think its a great idea. I've left a message for the Rev. Andrew Akuak, although his wife sounded extremely suspicious of me. I'm hoping that this is of interest to them. Certainly, if the Sudanese community thinks its a dumb idea, then I won't proceed.

But I do think this would be a good project to apply for a Leeway Foundation grant. I'm going to work on my proposal and hope that the community comes through.

If anyone wants to volunteer to help me practice my portraiture skills, please let me know. It's been some time since I've tackled anything more than a self-portrait!

Any feedback on how this sounds would be great too.