As you probably know, the internet has been raging over Timothée Chalamet’s recent comment that “no one cares” about ballet or opera. “It’s like, hey, keep this thing alive,” he said during a February CNN & Variety Town Hall discussion.
To be fair, he probably didn’t mean to be as offensive as it came off. Ballet and opera are definitely less mainstream forms of entertainment. Is it really deep enough to have the whole internet attack him? No. However, it was wrong for him to assume that no one cares about that form of art.
In an effort to “keep this thing alive” — not at all because I got a free ticket through Her Campus — I attended The Dream and The Leisurely Installation of a New Window at the Boston Ballet.
I had no clue what I was walking into. Everything I know about ballet comes from when I was 8 years old, watching The Nutcracker in my grandparents’ basement.
As I walked into the theater, I first noticed people’s outfits. The ladies next to me were wearing jeans and a nice shirt, while the ones next to them were wearing long dresses and high heels. The men in front of us had on dress shoes and shirts, but others were dressed casually. I, on the other hand, was wearing my favorite polka dot dress that just debuted on my Instagram.
Ballet lesson one: no one knows if attending one is a formal or casual event.
We sat down, and the show started a little after the time it was supposed to. The curtain rose, and the dancers were revealed wearing the most bland outfits possible. This was the beginning of The Leisurely Installation of a New Window segment. Keep in mind, I didn’t even know there were two separate shows happening.
I tried to find a clear storyline, one that did not exist. The way they danced was so amusing and satisfying. Honestly, the story itself was in the way they expressed themselves through their gracious movements.
During the first show, there was a main ballerina carrying a book around. And the whole time, I was trying to dissect what the book represented. The book got passed from the girl to a couple who danced with it in a free, funky way. The book eventually ended with the girl.
After the show ended, I was confused. What was the message in that? What was the meaning of the book? Was there even a storyline?
Ballet lesson two: read the program before watching the show.
Turns out, choreographer My’Kal Stromile was portraying how inherited systems are questioned and transformed through the ballet. He broke the dance into three distinct parts: thesis, antithesis, and synthesis.
The main ballerina was established as the “Seeker.” Thesis represents complex but traditional systems using large groups, including the Seeker, and synchronized movements.
Anthesis is introduced using the couple of Reformers, and this is when the Seeker begins to read from the book. The Seeker then hands the text over to the Reformers, who dance with the book in a diverse way.
Smaller groups start to form, and the movements become much freer. Synthesis arises from a new, reformed way of thinking.
Now, once I established that, I wish I could’ve time traveled and watched it again. It is unbelievable how, through only movement, choreographers can create such profound meaning and complex themes. From first glance, it may look like a bunch of people dancing, but when you pay attention, it becomes much more.
Ballet lesson three: If you’re open to it, ballets have the ability to present deep, interpretive themes.
After an intermission that I spent buying watermelon Sour Patch Kids, The Dream started. I quickly learned it tells the story of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a play I’ve never read.
I immediately fell in love with the set of this ballet. It was based in a whimsical forest. To add to that, the performers’ outfits were unbelievable. The dancers were wearing green, flowered, flowing dresses that came right out of a fairytale. Their dancing was so synchronized.
I felt like a little girl who believed in fairies and enchanted forests.
This performance was not like the other. The dancers provided an obvious intention with their moves to tell a clearer story. It was less open-ended and interpretive, but more performative and entertaining.
I could really analyze every aspect of the show if I wanted to — the music, the dancing, the outfits, the set, the casting. The list goes on. But as a first-time ballet attendee, what drew me in most was the skill level of these dancers.
Ballet lesson four: Ballet takes some real hard work.
How the heck can someone stand on their toes for so long? How do they remember every single tiny movement? How do they move so gracefully, without making any sound? Most of my friends and family know I am way too clumsy to even dream of dancing like that, which made this all the more unbelievable.
I am truly glad I got the opportunity to attend this show. It was kind of a reality check I did not know I needed. While the world is so hectic, we should always make time to appreciate forms of art that we aren’t as accustomed to. That is precisely how we become more accepting and cultured, by being open to new experiences.
The show also reminded me that while we tend to get caught up in our own hobbies and interests, there are so many ways to express ourselves. Art is not defined by a single standard; everyone expresses their truth differently. The definition of art to one person may differ from that of another. But that is precisely what makes it art: its ability to be debated and perceived differently, while making space for expression and beauty in the unknown.
Ballet lesson number five is a Meg March Little Women quote I leave for my man, Timothée Chalamet: “Just because my dreams are different than yours doesn’t mean they’re unimportant.”
Diverse perspectives, passions, and ways of life simply grant us the opportunity to expand into new ways of thinking and ultimately grow from them.
Attending The Dream showed me that.
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