Last night I had a real treat. I attended my first ballet performance as an audience member since I "retired." What a show to see! New York City Ballet has for years been one of my favorite companies, and I've known a pretty good handful of people who dance there. Several of them are my generation, and I feel that this time after several years of not seeing them, I was given a gift. I got to see how much these artists have grown. It's a bit like seeing a child after years of not seeing them and being surprised by how tall they are! It's not that you don't expect them to not have grown, but yet, you've kept the past memory of them etched in your mind.
The first couple of pieces were more contemporary in nature and extremely physically challenging. Someone I knew in the audience from Kansas City asked me after these pieces if it made me miss it. Shockingly perhaps, I was able to answer "No." It was true. It made me proud to know what amazing efforts these dancers were making, but I didn't envy them. This may have changed a little after the last piece which was George Balanchine's "Who Cares?" which was the ballet I just retired with. Even so, I grinned from ear to ear the whole time and found it inspiring. It's such a theatrical and jazzy piece that it made me excited to be pushing for exactly what I'm doing with musical theatre. I've just got to get back on stage!
I loved being in the audience tonight. What an exhilarating experience, and I cannot wait to have more.
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