October | 2013 | Victoria Goes to Paris

Or known as Swan Lake at Châtelet Theatre in English.

This past Sunday, September 29, I went to a 3PM showing of Swan Lake at Châtelet Theatre by the Ballet National de Chine. Getting cultured in Paris~ I typically don’t go to these shows in NYC (although they are abundant), but something about Paris made me feel the need to go. I booked my tickets a bit less than a week before the actual date of the performance. But there were still plenty of seats available. Thank goodness! I would have been crushed if all the seats were sold out. I paid slightly extra (28.50 euros) for the 2nd cheapest option online. And for the rest of the week, I was super excited.

This is what the theatre looks like from the outside:

This view of the Theatre from outside is not as flattering as other photos I found on Google Images. Ah well. The inside, however, is stunning!

I sat on the 1st balcony, seat B27. The seat was decent. However, there was a pillar that blocked my left view. Fortunately for me, no one sat in the next seat. This seat was right behind the pillar, but if you sit back comfortably in the seat, you can see the whole stage! So for the second act, I moved to this seat. An upgrade for free! (According to the seating charts, this seat in one category level higher than the one I paid for. Score!)

Here are the stunning views of the Grand Salle:

As the lights were dimming at the start of the spectacle

When the performance began, I felt so overwhelmed by the orchestra. Listening to live classical music always gets to me. Especially in a big production like this. All my emotions go haywire at this sound. Really, I felt my throat go dry and my eyes about to tear for no reason. Anyways, I was pretty excited because this was my first time seeing Swan Lake in person. Having listened to the score multiple times before, this was one of my favorite ballets that I had not yet seen.

I know absolutely nothing about ballets, but here’s my opinion on the spectacle put on by the National Ballet of China:
I loved it! It swept me away. Everything felt so magical. I absolutely loved loved loved the costumes and especially the set designs. They were gorgeous. I didn’t watch for technical perfection or acting skills. I just came to have a good time. And I definitely did. The ending scene pulled on my heartstrings. I will admit to one embarrassing thing though. Towards the end of the first act, I suffered from one of my migraine attacks. I held in the pain during the second act, but at the beginning of the third act, I rested my head in between two seats and then dozed off a bit a few times accidentally. 🙁 I tried my hardest to stay awake, but I occasionally knocked out for who knows how long. It felt like minutes, but it could have been seconds for all I know. Anyways, I did not miss much and I caught all the climatic scenes so, in the end, no harm done really.

I had such a wonderful experience going to see the ballet. It’s quite an expensive pastime, but I think it’s worth it. It makes me oh so happy inside. For the rest of my year here in Paris, I will be going to a lot more spectacles. How exciting!

Here are some extra photos: