Overheard at the Ballet

Last night, together with our neighbors and friends, the girls and I went to a performance of Giselle at the Narodno Pozorište (National Theater).

The performance was part of the Sarajevo Ballet Fest, performed by a troupe from Croatia (the troupe from Croatia?). It was a first for the girls, and man were they impressed by the fanciness of the evening. We had fun getting dressed up before hand (even though we haven't fully unpacked our winter clothes - and needed them), while N picked out cool t-shirts for the boys.

Yes, the girls  (Mom, Birdie and Deevie) were headed to the ballet, and the boys (Dad and Cubby) were headed to a Hip Hop performance sponsored by the Embassy. (Hopefully N can post something about that later. N: "Cubby must've danced for a good hour.")

Anyway, here is our evening in quotes, in no particular order:

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Birdie: "What if someone falls off the stage?!"

Deevie: "I don't understand what they're doing. I don't understand what is going on at all! This is making no sense!"

Birdie (about the theater smoke creeping across the stage floor, pouring into the orchestra pit):
"I love that stuff!"

Me (after the audience broke into applause at a repetitive sequence of moves that made the ballerinas look like ducks hopping across the stage): "I don't think you realize how difficult some of this stuff is to do until you try to do it yourself."

Birdie: "You can tell ballet is from France. It is just so Frenchy."

Our neighbor S as curtains closed and lights came up: "Well, that must be the end...because she died. I mean, she can't really be part of the story anymore if she's dead."
Me: "Are you kidding? Death doesn't mean anything in art! I have a feeling we're going to be seeing some Ghost Ballerina in act II." 
(I was right. :))

Birdie, who had gone to Ford's Theater with Dad and Deevie while we were in Virginia: I feel like Abraham Lincoln in the box!

Deevie: Is that guy wearing pants? I don't think he's wearing pants!
Me, after a particular revealing dance, and after several attempts to assure her the guy was in fact wearing pants: I admit, sometimes it looks like he's not wearing pants.

Birdie: When are they going to change the scene? I'm tired of this one.

Birdie when the music made an obvious change: Is that the bridge?

Deevie: Well, that was an unpredictable ending!

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Overall it was a fantastic experience. Sure, the ballet went on a little too long and a little to late in the evening for our little group, and some of us may have fallen asleep at points, but for a performance that first hit the scene in 1841, not to shabby. Culture!