12 things: watch ballet

Like many little girls, I took ballet lessons when I was quite young. But I gave up soon after and never really learnt anything beyond tying my ballet shoes, nor did I really learn to truly appreciate the dance form.

This changed last year, after I watched classical ballet (Romeo and Juliet by The Australian ballet) for the first time, and  fell hopelessly in love. The tutus, the pointe toes, the lifts, the pirouettes, the beautiful music (especially the music!), the tragic love story had me captivated and I was amazed at how through dancing, the ballerinas were able to convey love, feelings, moods, even humour.

I was desperate for more.

And this is why number 4 on my list of 12 things for 2012 is to watch ballet.

A couple of nights ago, I was lucky enough to be given tickets to watch the English National Ballet perform at The Concourse and it was as promised, heartstoppingly beautiful. Seriously, there were moments I felt tingles down my spine. I still have Satie's haunting music playing over and over in my head today.

The performance featured highlights from several ballets, so I was able to 'sample' from some of the best classical repertoir ever made. My favourites were Trois Gnossiennes and Don Quixote. The former for its quiet elegance and the latter for its colour and liveliness. I simply cannot wait to watch more ballet.

What do you feel about ballet?