Going to the BAM Opera House was truly an honor. The ambiance was royal. I felt like we were going to see Shakespeare sitting in the balcony near us and a king and queen on the other. The opera house was very beautiful and its structure was mesmerizing. We were on the balcony, which was basically the third floor. It was scary because the seats were very, very steep and the room between your legs and the next seat down was little to none.
The performance was actually two different shows, Café Müller was the first one and The Rite of Spring was the second. Café Müller was something I honestly wish I understood better. There were provocative and thought-provoking scenes, like when the two main characters would continuously bang into the walls and some people found that funny. However, I felt a grave and grim mood that disheartened me. The repetition and acceleration of some movements were really captivating, for example when the man would come and set up the characters to hold each other in a different way, and once he left the woman would fall. Many aspects of this part were interesting and I really wish I understood it better.
Simply said, The Rite of Spring blew my mind. From the dirt to the synchrony, to the diversity of the dancers and their identical demeanor, I was incredibly impressed. Everything about this performance was breath taking. Although, I came to the conclusion that the lack of dialogue in ballet made it really difficult for me to understand the storyline and the message, I felt all of the emotions through the music and the dancers. The whole time, I was enraptured by how hard their movements were and how easy they made it all seem. The final dance by the woman in the pink dress was marvelous. I was disappointed to hear people commenting the dress malfunction, because this occurred due to the dancer’s intense dedication and professionalism. Her job is so difficult and the art she masters is painful and exhausting. I felt very honored to watch the performers’ hard work and the final product. It was amazing.
Ellen Stoyanov
