My university often had shows and concerts available for us to watch. Some of them were required, and some of them were optional, but I enjoyed attending them. My school had excellent music and theater programs, and all of the performances were excellently done.
Sometimes, at the time, I was annoyed that I had to give up a Sunday afternoon to go watch a concert, but since I have been away from that environment for quite a while, I miss it. I miss enjoying the beautiful music or plays that allowed me to appreciate a brilliantly written story with witty dialogue.
Now, if I have the chance to go to a concert or a play, I like to take that opportunity. When my friend suggested that we go to Swan Lake, I was really excited. I wasn’t very familiar with the story, and I’m also not very familiar with ballet, but I do enjoy Tchaikovsky’s music (also, I can’t believe I got his name right on my first guess!). I was excited about the performance.
Some friends joined for a delicious beef hot pot before the show, and then we headed to the performance. Our seats were closer than I had expected. The theater wasn’t very large, and we had gotten a good discount for seats near the front on the right side. The theater was called 广州艺术剧院 (Guangzhou yishu juyuan).
We settled in for the performance, and Patricia, who enjoyed Swan Lake and had seen several versions of the story, gave us a summary. A prince falls in love with a girl who is owned by a wizard—or something—who turned her into a swan. Then a black swan comes along and pretends to be the white swan girl and tries to trick him into falling in love with her.
The black swan and the white swan were played by the same girl, and I was impressed with how she showed the different characters. Her facial expressions were quite different as the black swan, and even I could see her skill.
The ballet didn’t have any speaking (which was probably good because it was performed by a Russian group, and I don’t speak any Russian). I sometimes had a hard time following the story, but even when I wasn’t sure what was going on, I enjoyed watching the dancing and looking at their beautiful clothes.
I was a bit disappointed that there wasn’t a live orchestra, but the music was beautifully done, and I liked paying attention to which instrument was emphasized to create a different feeling in the performance.
Taking pictures was prohibited, and even though some people sneaked some pictures, I was actually glad. I was glad that I didn’t have to try to capture the show in pictures and I could just enjoy the performance. I was wondering if they don’t allow pictures more to create a certain experience than to protect the content of the show. I’m not sure, but I was thankful to just be able to relax and enjoy it.
During the curtain call, the rules were relaxed, and my friend took some pictures, so I’ll share some of those with you.
As I watched the show, I was thankful for the time to take a break from my busy schedule and relax with friends. Even though I’m on holiday, my time filled up quickly, and it’s nice to take a break. What a blessing to be able to enjoy something beautiful—I don’t want to take these opportunities for granted anymore! Since I’m paying for them now, rather than in college when they were free and required, I think that’s a little bit easier. But I’m also thankful for my college that taught me to enjoy these wonderful experiences.
I do enjoy the chance to enjoy shows and beautiful music, and I’m looking forward to enjoying another show later this month! I will probably tell you about that one also!