From historic Fenway Park to Gillette Stadium, Boston is known for its die-hard appreciation for sports like football, baseball, and hockey. However, the heart of this eclectic city beats to the rhythm of a thriving theater district frequented by Bostonians from all walks of life.
Her Campus Magazine kindly gave my friend and fellow Her Campus editor, Peyton Bliley, and me the opportunity to see the Boston Ballet’s opening night of its Winter Experience on March 5. Dressed in our theater best, we were excited to see the renowned dancers take the stage at the captivating Citizens Bank Opera House.
Just one week before, Oscar-winning actor Timothee Chalamet carelessly joked that “no one cares” about ballet and opera in a CNN and Variety Town Hall with Matthew McConaughey. Regardless of the numerous opinions circulating around his remarks, the message was clear: Chalamet grossly misjudged support for these historic art forms. My spellbinding experience watching the Boston Ballet’s Winter Experience — and the community that turned out in droves to witness the show — proved Chalamet wrong.
You could hear a pin drop in the 2,600-seat theater that evening as the dancers executed a two-part performance of Jorma Elo’s Le Sacre Du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) and Crystal Pite’s The Seasons’ Canon. Thousands of eyes watched transfixed as solo, pas de deux, and group performances showcased the nexus of athleticism and artistry.
There is something so magical about the ballet, from the anticipation of waiting for the curtains to rise minutes before a performance, to watching a story unfold in an array of shapes, colors, and sounds on stage. That gloomy Thursday evening in early March transformed into an unforgettable night the moment the house lights dimmed, and the mystical, evocative sound of Igor Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps filled the room. That is the power that ballet holds.
As a dancer, singer, and lover of the performing arts, I am well aware that ballet and opera are often mocked. Recently, it appears that the two art forms have been in constant competition with modern forms of entertainment, such as film and online streaming platforms. For instance, why purchase an expensive ticket to the ballet when visiting your local movie theater, or spending a night in with Netflix is cheaper?
Furthermore, average performers in these industries are notoriously undercompensated, deterring many young people from pursuing careers in them. Couple this with the annual re-runs of antiquated stories like The Nutcracker or Aida, and you may feel tempted to agree with the likes of Chalamet.
Nonetheless, these historic art forms possess something Bostonians are all too familiar with: longevity. In a city older than the United States’ independence, there is widespread appreciation for stories, people, and art forms that existed centuries before our time. Ballet and opera are not “dead.” If anything, they are evolving to fit shifting avenues of storytelling and artistic expression.
Take Winter Experience, for example: both The Seasons’ Canon and Le Sacre Du Printemps are modern interpretations of music scores composed in the 18th and early-19th centuries, respectively. The Boston Ballet’s performances reflected the evolutionary nature of ballet as a unique art form.
The audience watched in awe as the dancers executed modern dance technique and isolated movements not too far off from those seen in present-day music videos. Along with the dancers’ sleek, figure-hugging unitards and next-level athleticism, the performance revealed that ballet is indeed evolving alongside other dance genres.
But even before the dancers took to the stage, a line of audience members stretched outside Citizens Bank Opera House down Washington Street, proving that many people were excited to see what Winter Experience had to offer.
So, to the ballet and opera doubters, if “no one cared” about these art forms, why did a blanket of silence and amazement shroud the theater as 54 spectacular dancers graced the stage? Why did the theater erupt in symphonic applause as the performers took their final bows for the night?
Truth be told, Boston does care about ballet. And as I rode the green line back to my dorm, the famous Citgo sign coming into view, program in hand and Vivaldi’s Winter playing in the back of my head, I realized it didn’t matter what Timothée Chalamet or the internet thought. Not everyone may value ballet and opera, but to those who do, these art forms live on in our hearts forever.