Just as in ballet, where no words are used to tell a story, this blog entry will rely on photos to tell the tale. Oh! You know me too well. I cannot just use pictures -- I simply have to get a few words in! ;-)
North Central Ballet performed this Balanchine classic as their end of the year performance. I suppose it's safe to refer to a fifty-year-old ballet as a classic. The original Shakespeare play would definitely fall into the classic category, as it was believed to have been written sometime around 1595.
Flash photography during ballet performances is strictly prohibited, but I was able to get some nice pictures without flashing anyone as I was exposed to the arts. (Hmmmm... Is that sentence awkwardly worded?) The stage lighting was rather dim, but it adds an interesting, almost ethereal quality, to the photos. I am still learning what settings work the best, but overall, I am pleased with how these images turned out.
It's a good thing I've got the perfect camera for shooting under these conditions. Ain't she a beauty?
There were sooo many little children in this performance, as it was the summer recital for the dance studio. Although I did not take photos of every single group, I still ended up taking over 300 photos. The frequent click, click, click sounds likely annoyed the gentleman sitting next to me. Then again, the fidgety youngster squirming on his lap was keeping him occupied, so he may not have even noticed my camera's rhythmic clicks.
Titania (Kaytlynn) -- Queen of the Faeries
I do recognize one of these faces! Our neighbor girl danced in this piece.
Olivia, a.k.a. Hippolyta
Puck, that merry wanderer of the night, is feisty with a foil.
Hippolyta, the flying Amazonian Queen
After the show, one of the dancer dads told me that he thought our faerie ballerinas looked like giant gnats or mosquitoes dancing on the stage. If gnats they be, then they are the most lovely and graceful winged pests ever.
They look like faeries to me.
Shhhh! Titania is sleeping.
"I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine:"
Three smiling faeries
Our neighbor girlies posed with Liesey.
Titania and my favorite Mustard Seed Faerie
"First, rehearse your song by rote
To each word a warbling note:
Hand in hand, with fairy grace,
Will we sing, and bless this place."
"First, rehearse your song by rote
To each word a warbling note:
Hand in hand, with fairy grace,
Will we sing, and bless this place."
Well done, Ladies! It was a magical evening.
