Dancing with the ... WHAT?!

After several years of “The Nutcracker” which had enthralled my now 10-year-old daughter, Jane, I decided she was ready to see a “grownup” ballet. Tickets to a performance by the Joffrey ballet were a big hit with both Jane and my mother. The third Saturday night in January, we arrived at The Auditorium Theatre with eager anticipation. Our seats were in the balcony – my favorite choice for two reasons. First, being a bit vertically challenged, I don’t like to risk having my line of sight obstructed by a tall person in front of me on the main level. In the balcony the steeper configuration gives me a better view. Second, the ticket prices fit my budget.

We headed for the elevator -- which was not working due to renovations on the upper levels of Roosevelt University. Oh no! There was no way Mom could climb those stairs. The man at the box office could not have been kinder. No problem. He exchanged our balcony tickets for seats in the fifth row. There were no tall people blocking my view. I have never had a better view of dancers. The first performance of the evening was rather traditional for the Joffrey and it was thoroughly delightful.

After a short intermission, “Untitled” began. I wish it had a title so you could look it up on “describethisballet.com.” OK, there is no “describethisballet.com.” So I will do my best. Two ballerinas in Victorian garden dresses and hats took to the stage barefoot. After a few graceful moves, the ballerinas seemed to grow and the length of their dresses extended. Then they shrank. And then gradually they became giants. The audience began to chuckle. What fun.

The bare feet, while graceful, were clearly too big for the ballerinas. So it was not a total surprise to find they belonged to other dancers. They belonged to the male dancers who slid out from under the ballerina’s long skirts – wearing dance belts, and nothing else. Yikes! Sitting between my mother and daughter, I just couldn’t decide what to do. Cover Jane’s eyes? Cover Mom’s eyes? Cover the dancers? With what?!