Why is there a boy?

This past Saturday night, Pam and I went to the ballet. Yes, for those who have previously read my blog, you will no doubt have a sense of deja-vu! Indeed, just when the images of 'Row C' were nicely fading from my mind, my calendar beeped at me last week to notify me that we had tickets to, of all things, the Ballet! When I checked the tickets I was surprised to find that they were for a performance called "Dancing Joni". So I was off for an evening of men in tights and yellow taxis!
To be honest, this was the best ballet I've been to (not that I'm subscriber or anything!). This was a brand new ballet performance; a collaboration between the Alberta Ballet and Joni Mitchell. It featured music and art by Joni Mitchell with dance by the Alberta Ballet company. It was very political, the songs, art and dance all speaking about major political issues of war, child slavery and environmental abuse. (I admit that it's rather funny to think of a major commentary on the environment being initiated here in Alberta; somehow I doubt very many Alberta government officials were in attendance!)
I am virtually totally ignorant of Joni Mitchell's music, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. The music and the photography were very powerful and the dance certainly added a significant layer to the presentation.

Now before you start thinking I've been converted to the ballet, let me bring you to the humorous 'high point' of the evening:
Pam and I were seated in the 1st balcony (no 'row c' this time!) and next to us was a woman and her young daughter. The little girl was dressed up like a princess and was very beautiful. She couldn't have been more than 3 and a half. I was very impressed by her behavior; she watched and listened very well through the 2 hour production.
The evening opened with George Balanchine's Serenade. This piece was virtually exclusively danced by young women, much to the delight of the young princess seated to our left. Mid-way through Serenade, a male dancer came onto the scene, to which she whispered loudly to her mother: "Why is there a boy?"
Pam and I nearly burst into laughter! What a great comment, and at least from my perspective hits the nail on the head. Why IS there a boy in the ballet! For myself and many other men, this must be the central question regarding the ballet. As I have said before, men in tights simply are NOT a good idea. EVER! I don't care how ripped and toned they are: the world simply doesn't need to see that!

Anyway, all attempts at humor aside, this was a really good event. Oh, and by the way, here's a note of advice: if you're planning to go to a cultural event and the Jubilee and are thinking of going out for dinner before the performance, do yourself a favor: DON'T even try to go to Earls on campus. We've tried the last two times and the line up has been out the door. This Saturday, we ended up going to Chianti's on Whyte; a good standby, as long as you don't mind slightly overcooked pasta, and the chocolate mousse dessert is fantastic!

Interestingly enough, as I was reading a bit on "Dancing Joni", apparently, the performance got reviewed by the press all over North America and even from London, England! I don't think they were disappointed, and I think it's great that it started here in Alberta!