There are never just two kinds of people, whatever certain areas of the internet may feel like. Take the knitters - there are not just the Natural Fibres Knitters and the Acrylic Knitters. Both groups have many members, but in between there is a whole shifting territory of Other Knitters. The ones who aren't doctrinaire about the fibre content of their yarn, but make their decisions based on a myriad of factors. For example, what does this feel like, or who is going to have to wash it in the end? Or even, how many weeks will I have to eat bread and cheese every meal to pay for this?
So when I say that there are two types of people, the Opera People and the Ballet People, I know that in fact there are an awful lot of people for whom both Opera and Ballet are just incomprehensible poncing about on stage, and they could happily live without either.
But there are the Opera people and the Ballet People, and they don't seem to overlap much if at all. Chris is an Opera Person. Chris owns multi-CD boxed sets of operas, and follows the libretto in the booklet (and occasionally sings along with alto arias). I am not an Opera Person. I cannot bring myself to believe in the expression of emotion through song and horned helmets (let's just ignore my love of the Hollywood Musical, because it's different. I can't say how it's different but I assure you it is).
But the expression of emotion through wordless dance? Absolutely. Nothing wrong with that. perfectly reasonable. Which is why I am immensely excited about going to see Matthew Bourne's Dorian Gray in Norwich tomorrow, and Chris is equally excited about a quiet evening at home. I'm overdue for a Live Cultural Experience, since it's almost exactly a year since we went to see Euripides' The Bacchae (starring Alan Cumming in a gold kilt, and not a lot else. In fact, rather a lot less at one point). I won't reflect on how many of my Live Cultural Experiences involve semi-naked men and a warning that this production is not suitable for under-14s. I'll just have another glass of wine instead, and ponder what one wears to the Ballet. Possibly my new coat. I'm hoping for colder weather, quite soon please. I'd also like a furry Russian hat.
4 comments:
If ever there was a coat made to be worn to the ballet, it is that one. But with boots, please.
Come to think of it, don't most Hollywood musicals incorporate a ballet sequence?
That's a gorgeous coat. We need to go and see something to which we can both sweep around the place in our posh coats.
Glad you decided to go to the ballet. I think that was the right decision (I am the third kind of person, myself)
Lucy
oh, and definitely with boots.
Lucy, again.
(me again, on rereading your post - third typr of person, as in, I like both.) L.
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