Watching people you know on-stage is always weird.

Got to see two of my ballet classmates perform last Saturday night.
Best Girl and Another Girl.
And it was so weird! To see them onstage! I mean, to see them from a from a distance, with harsh stage lights, after spending sooooooo much time in class with all of us never more than a studio length away from each other, it was suddenly like getting the whole picture. Like wow, Another Girl’s shoulders are so square how did I never notice that? And the way the light hits her brow, wow, she looks fierce. And not in an America’s Next Top Model way, I mean fierce as in angry and aggressive. Weird. She always looks so delicate and timid in class.
Reminds me of talking to an actor friend in college, we were gossiping about her acting class, you know, who was gonna Make It, who was pretty, who was smart. Remember her describing one girl, that she was very plain in real life, kinda forgettable, but when she got on stage the light caught her eyes in a particular way that totally transformed her and you couldn’t look away. Kinda mind boggling, that people can be changed by something as simple as an angle of light.
Anyway, so Best Girl had a solo set to live music where she did some Angry Fouettés, which were, like, the awesomest thing ever. Talk about fierce. Seriously, why have I never seen Angry Fouettés before? They kick ass! Like, almost literally!
Why have I never seen fouettés with Any Emotion At All attached?
And then there was this moment in a piece with Best Girl and Another Girl where they were bourré-ing in a circle, hands raised and lightly touching, other hand floating out delicately, very Bottecelli, very lovely, except that as their pointe shoes patpatpatpat-ted the stage, their upper arms did a corresponding jigglejigglejigglejiggle, and I was like, Oh No!!!!! Old Ballerinas! It Is So Tragic! Why Are You Wearing Those Awful Sparkly Strapless Things?! They Are So Costumey! A Three Quarter Sleeve Ruched Front Leotard With A Chiffon Skirt Would Be So Much More Elegant And Stylish! And Help With The Jiggles!
Not that they’re old. At All! They’re like in their twenties or something! And very fit! But, you know, there’s some jiggle. Wonder how professionals avoid that. Pointe shoes do create a lot of reverb.
And it was a mixed program, so after the ballet numbers there was some modern stuff performed by some other dancers which just reminded the Adult Beginner that choreography is not for everyone.

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