Thursday night made me really thankful that I’m in Macaulay. Although I try not to take the abundance of culture and exciting things to do that we have available in NYC for granted, without Macaulay I doubt that I would have gone to the ballet. And now that I’ve gone I’m really glad to have had that opportunity. The first two acts were romantic and elegant, as would be expected of a ballet; but the real standout was the final act, The Green Table. It was quite dark for a generally romantic and pleasant genre, but perhaps the fact that it defies the usual expectations of ballet was what made it so memorable. It announced its overtly political and antiwar stance from the first minute. The curtains were pulled back to reveal the dancers dressed up as old white male diplomats gathered around a green table, portraying the charade of international negotiations.  Tellingly, the green table was shaped like a coffin. Before long, the attempt at diplomacy degenerated into chaos and bloodshed.  One dancer fired an extremely disarming and shocking shot from a makeshift gun, heralding the breakdown of the talks. The act proceeded to depict all the suffering that occurs in war. The juxtaposition of the elegant and limber moves of the ballerinas with the heavy subject of the ballet only made the show all the more compelling. The images of the night will be embedded in my mind for a long time.