transfered art reflection

(I posted this in the wrong blog by accident I have replaced it here)

Over the winter break I attended the San Francisco’s ballet rendition of the Nutcracker.  As in every year my mom dresses up my brothers and me in our best suits and we attend.  Between the crude jokes my brothers make at the expense of the title of the show, and the abstract storytelling through the medium of ballet it is not my favorite night of the year.  But interestingly enough I have grown to like it and appreciate it more as I have gotten older.  The dancers move with great skill and over the years the focus of the ballet has changed from the dancer too the story which is a positive thing in my opinion.  The most interesting time I have attended was last year when I attended with a person who at the time was my girlfriend and also a ballet dancer.  She explained to me more of the dancing side of the show highlighting some of the particularly hard moves to pull off as well as the great skill of the dancers.  Because of this I have more of an appreciation for the great skill it takes to produce and execute a show such as the Nutcracker.  Another interesting thing about the Nutcracker is how simple the story is that it could probably be told in just a few sentences and yet it plays out over the course of several hours. 

Some things I did not like about the show were how long it was and some of the abstract dancing that took place.  Some of the dancing sections revolved around one or two dancers striking poses which to me had no relevance with the story and confused me more than it entertained me.  The other trouble spot is the length running well over 3 hours the show seems to become repetitive as it progresses.  Similar costumes are used as well as similar dance numbers.  I feel like this show might appeal to more persons if its length was cut down and just the basic story telling scenes were included.  In one scene two major characters the ice prince and princess are introduced and after they ride in on their chariot to take the little girl off with them.  Their minions some sort of fairy like creature dance around on the icy landscape for more than 15 minutes.  I feel like parts like these can and should be cut out of the show. 

                My favorite part of the show is the battle between the rats and the soldiers.  It has been my favorite part of the show since I was 6 and I saw it for the first time.  It is the climax of the show and is always very entertaining.  When the hero is stabbed by the king rat my parents told me I cried the first time I saw it.  I don’t know why I like this scene the most maybe its boys predisposition to enjoy violence but it has always stuck in my head and I always look forward to that moment during the show.