Change of Scene

When I have time off I like to see other companies perform. There are so many dance companies performing in New York City that I wish I could see perform more often. When The New York City Ballet is not in season, other companies rent out our theater, making it easy sneak in to watch a performance. However, American Ballet Theater is a ballet company that performs in the building literally next door to the theater I perform in every day. It is sad how little I get to see them perform with how close they are located to my theater. It is just impossible to get time to see them dance when I'm performing every night. However, since I am on a layoff, I was finally able to see American Ballet Theater perform.

Seeing American Ballet Theater perform is very different from seeing The New York City Ballet perform. They are a more classical company then we are. We very rarely perform story ballets, whereas American Ballet Theater performs them often. Another difference between these two companies is the style of movement, like how fast they move and how they use their feet. The New York City Ballet is known to move quicker as well as use their feet very well, whereas American Ballet Theater is know for a slower romantic style of movement. Neither style is considered better than the other; there are just preferences to what you would rather see based on the movements.

Today I saw the American Ballet Theater perform the production of Cinderella choreographed by Frederick Ashton. In this production of Cinderella, the choreography is definitely challenging. I don't think non-dancers would notice how difficult the steps are because the dancers performed beautifully, but as a dancer, I was certainly aware of the difficulty. The highlight of the performance was the two ugly step-sisters, who were performed by two male dancers. The overall production was a fun one to go see. 

I think that you can learn so much from seeing other dance companies perform. When you watch different companies, you are broadening your knowledge of different techniques and are able to use it to your own advantage to help your own dancing.