so, ballet is cool.

Guess what, you guys???

Last night, I saw my very first ballet - the Moscow Ballet came to campus and performed the 'American' (read: shortened) version of Sleeping Beauty for us, and it was beautiful. Even if it was three hours long. 

Now, I've never been much of a dancer, and the last time I was even remotely interested in wearing a tutu, I think I was about five years old. But these men and women did amazing work last night, and I was truly in awe. It was like watching professional athletes at a game ... only pretty.

I may not know a thing about dance, but I am a sucker for a good spectacle, and these guys had a lot of it. Their backdrop was multilayered and wonderfully detailed, and there was so much shine happening on those costumes (the pictures don't do them justice, of course) that sometimes they looked like little sparkling toys under the stage lights. 

My favorite character - second only to the Bad Fairy, who was played by a man in drag and was hilariously Evil - was Prince Charming, solely because of the amazing leaps and mid-air twirls he did for us almost every time he came onstage. I caught myself holding my breath sometimes, just waiting for him to time something wrong, to fall ... but he never did. Guys in tights might look silly, friends, but that doesn't stop them from being amazingly badass.

A few friends of mine got the chance to hang out with some of the younger dancers much later that night, and it was interesting to hear what those dancers had to say about the show. When asked about how they though it went, one of the guys just shrugged. "Eh. It was okay." (All in a Russian accent, remember.) "But I'm only doing this for my grandmother."

Another came right out and said, "It's just a job, you know. Ballet sucks!"

It kind of blows my mind that you could have that kind of skill and dedication (because you have to be dedicated to be on this kind of tour - they're traversing all 50 states and I don't know how many countries before they get back to Russia) to do something as demanding as ballet, in one of the most highly-respected troupes in the world, and not even care for it. But I imagine there's a lot more to that story.

To close, I give you one more quote from the evening, from my ridiculous roommate and I, which should tell you everything you need to know about why we are friends.

Roomie (leans over and whispers, while we're watching Prince Charming whirl through the air): "I want his butt."

Me: "OMG me too! I was just thinking that!!!"

'Night, friends. Thanks for reading.