En Pointe

I saw James Kudelka's Swan Lake a few years ago at the National Ballet, sitting in the comfortable boxed seats of the Grand Ring. I wasn't sure I wanted to see it again but then I heard from a friend that you can get standing room tickets for $12! If the average live show at a bar means standing around for 4 hours for the different bands, I can certainly do it for a 2-hour recital. Count me in for the premiere on Saturday.

Situated at the back banister of Ring 3 and 4, you get individually numbered locations with a coat hook for your jacket. So no worries about fighting for a good viewing spot in some sort of cow pen. You won't get close-ups like Orchestra or Grand Ring, but it's actually better than Ring 5 (which can go for $50-60).

As for the show, it follows the story of Siegfried (McGee Maddox) and his doomed love affair with Odile/Odette (Xiao Nan Yu). I thought the opening scenes in Act I with the knights showing off for the Prince, and in Act II with the courtiers were over-long. Is there a 60-min version of ballet classics? (No filler, all thriller). Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be much chemistry between Maddox and Yu. And both were a little wobbly at tonight's performance. Xu still portrayed Odile and Odette with exquisite fragility/verve, but Maddox didn't inhabit Siegfried. Etienne Lavigne (Rothbart) and Keiichi Hirano (The Fool) did a better job winning over the audience with their role.

So it looks like standing room is a good choice to see some dance at a cheap price. But there are some caveats. Near me was a young couple dressed to the nines. About 20 minute in, she fainted and had to be carried out. Was her dress too tight, heels too high, or not enough to eat at dinner? In any case, wear sensible clothes and shoes and have a filling meal. I wonder if you can sneak in those folding tripod stools you see at every outdoor show?