Features Apr 17, 2013 at 4:00 am

So Why Do People Keep Flocking to See It?

Kris Chau

Comments

1
Your headline for this article appears to have a typo: It should actually read "Stranger Writers Have Such Goddamned Short Attention-Spans That They Can't Sit Through a 3-Hour Performance."
2
People love Swan Lake because it's beautiful, duh. All those fabulous dancers moving in unison to that gorgeous music, played live? Come on. And please, Odette is hardly sweet and passive, and I missed the part where Odile was a whore. It's satisfying for audiences to see cultural icons who have survived 100s of years, that's interesting in and of itself. It's called history. Sure, everyone loves a little Trey McIntyre, and isn't it wonderful Swan Lake is around to pay for it. You wouldn't have big ballet companies able to do any experimental new work if you didn't have recognizable big ballets to bring folks in and to introduce them to an unfamiliar art form. It's a gateway. And it works. PNB ALWAYS HAS done lots of contemporary and new work, spawning choreographers and new companies and opportunities for dancers and fans. Be grateful for that, it gives you something to write about.

PS your artwork at the top stinks.
3
Melody--Headline aside, your attempt at offering us an inflammatory piece does little to establish your credibility as a dance writer new on the scene. I expected better from you. You've relied on crass prose and slang to make tired, cliched points. Leave the sensationalist vocabulary behind, step out of your comfort zone, and start writing something worth reading.

Doug Fullington
Education Programs Manager
Pacific Northwest Ballet
4
As someone who knows little about dance and hasn't seen "Swan Lake," I'm glad to know it might not be for me. Doesn't mean "Swan Lake" and Pacific Northwest Ballet aren't worthy. The Stranger gave Pacific Northwest Ballet a Genius Award, after all. The argument she's making is more subtle than you're giving her credit for.
5
I first have to admit that the Stranger is not the first place I would read to get sound and professional feedback on dance. This piece proves that point. It's really nothing more than an angry rant, dabbled with some poor anecdotal references. It's also objectively inaccurate. Peter Boal and his company are, by far, leading expositors of contemporary dance. Did this writer not do any research? Did the editor even question the integrity of her facts? Granted, one can hold an aesthetic preference and surely the Stranger is no stranger to blunt, sometimes incisive commentary, but this piece takes the cake. The writer not only irresponsibly puts forth a clearly biased aesthetic preference, but she does so under the guise of critical commentary. What has happened to good writing?

Kudos to PNB for its courage and creativity. The company is bastion of talent and a home for innovation in dance, both in the classical and contemporary genres. The company has resurrected ancient dance notation for the modern stage and bared its soul with many innovative forms of movement. Best of both worlds? To quote the writer, "fuck" yes!

Allow me to quote the writer again: "Seattle is a young city with a lot of rich young people, and organizations like [the Stranger] have a responsibility"...to write proper dance commentaries that support the ongoing work of the artistic community instead of derail it with careless journalism.
6
I first have to admit that the Stranger is not the first place I would read to get sound and professional feedback on dance. This piece proves that point. It's really nothing more than an angry rant, dabbled with some poor anecdotal references. It's also objectively inaccurate. Peter Boal and his company are, by far, leading expositors of contemporary dance. Did this writer not do any research? Did the editor even question the integrity of her facts? Granted, one can hold an aesthetic preference and surely the Stranger is no stranger to blunt, sometimes incisive commentary, but this piece takes the cake. The writer not only irresponsibly puts forth a clearly biased aesthetic preference, but she does so under the guise of critical commentary. What has happened to good writing?

Kudos to PNB for its courage and creativity. The company is bastion of talent and a home for innovation in dance, both in the classical and contemporary genres. The company has resurrected ancient dance notation for the modern stage and bared its soul with many innovative forms of movement. Best of both worlds? To quote the writer, "fuck" yes!

Allow me to quote the writer again: "Seattle is a young city with a lot of rich young people, and organizations like [the Stranger] have a responsibility"...to write proper dance commentaries that support the ongoing work of the artistic community instead of derail it with careless journalism.
7
Humm... not sure what MELODY DATZ's credentials are that make her suitable to write a public ballet review. If she'd like to grow up and be a real writer, may I suggest putting down the PBR and adderall, and frequenting cultural venues that don't play dub step. I mean, to each their own, but at least be educated if you're going to make a rant...
8
Maybe people like Swan Lake because they want to see traditional ballet, with the ladies in tutus all dancing in unison. I loved Romeo & Juliet, but I felt like I was watching modern dance, not ballet, and regular old classical ballet blows my mind. Now, would I go see Swan Lake time and time again? Probably not.

By your logic, the Seattle Symphony should never play Mozart or Beethoven. Guess what -- there's a place for it all.
9
Wow, Kiley was right. This is a great, fun to read and info-packed article. Too bad its critics don't get it. If I ever go to a performance of Swan Lake, it will be at least partly because of this review.

Just terrific. I'm going to re-read it now.
10
Did none of you idiots read the review? The writer makes her love of the ballet clear, but suggests that what needs to happen is that people need to stretch their comfort zone to experience something new and wonderful.
She backs this up by sharing her experiences with trying to introduce people to ballet via Swan Lake, mostly unsuccessfully. Se wishes to avoid the situation where people's first experience is unpleasant so they actually come to enjoy and attend ballet.

HOW DARE SHE!
12
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I saw PNB's Swan Lake a couple of years ago and haven't been back to PNB since. While the dancing was clearly exceptional, I found the show to be boring and about an hour and a half overlong. I knew nothing about ballet, so I assumed that if I didn't like Swan Lake, I wasn't going to like anything. Now perhaps I will go back.
13
I was about to comment when I realized that Hanoumatoi already said what I wanted to and probably much more eloquently than I would have.
14
if anyone of the previous commenters had bothered to pay attention to Melody's article, as opposed to just looking for fodder to rant over, they would pick up on the fact that Melody actually likes and enjoys Swan Lake. she mentions at least 6 different viewings (or partial viewings anyway) over the last decade; hardly the actions of someone who detests the piece. the article had nothing to do with the aesthetics of Swan Lake, but with PNB's programming choices. they continually remount a classic piece that, while admired by dance afficianados, obviously has no draw outside the scene. if they are looking to draw new patrons, Melody is simply suggesting that Swan Lake is not the best introduction to the world of ballet.

it's the same as admonishing a theatre company for wheeling out Pinter, or Beckett, or Richard III as a wheelhouse; all can be great, but don't have much draw outside the theatre scene. it's not a way to bring new audiences in. i know nothing about ballet, but even i can tell that a) Melody has enough experience to know what she's talking about, b) Swan Lake is a dancer's ballet, and c) it wouldn't be the best intro to ballet for someone like me (who doesn't get/wouldn't appreciate things like complex choreography). if you want to keep bringing the same people back, then by all means, keep producing work like this. if you want new people, you might do better to try something else.

you can rant all you want about how much you like Swan Lake, but you're missing the point of the article completely.

15
No, yelahneb @11, the Stranger writers are the "stuck-up pricks": Obviously "Swan Lake" appeals to the masses (in your words, the "groundlings,") or it wouldn't be as popular as it is. But the reviewer wants everyone to "step out of their comfort zone" and only see new works. Guess what? That's not what the groundlings want.
16
@3 - Your forte* is clearly in dance, not in reading. See comments 10, 11, and 14.

*In this context, "forte" means "strength".
17
Your comment is everything wrong with fine art houses. You don't like the review--in which Melody Datz shows that she loves ballet but thinks this show is a dull introduction for newcomers--so you've decided to attack her credibility. Two can play at that game: I think you're a willfully obtuse shill.

If you were truly concerned about the future of dance, interested in more people going to see dance, talk about dance, and contribute to the companies making it happen, then you would embrace people having normal, adult conversations about it. You'd love folks who can make ballet, well, fun. You'd invite them in, make sure they have a good time, and let them learn to love the the form just like you. But that's not what you're doing. You're trying to discredit anyone who shows the masses how to appreciate dance. And, as anyone who isn't a willfully obtuse shill knows, the stuff that engages newcomers is often different than the arcane stuff that satisfies experts. And most people aren't experts.

The death of fine art will be curators and companies that chase away the masses who are trying to join your party.
18
Are you high? (Oh wait.. never mind.) Swan Lake was awesome. The music was awesome. The dancing was awesome. Maybe you need better friends.
19
I'm seeing two contradictory arguments here. First, that non-dancers universally find Swan Lake boring. Second, that people flock to Swan Lake because it's pleasant and comforting. So, which is it? Choose an argument, for fuck's sake.

This piece includes a statement from a dancer that Swan Lake inspired him to become a dancer. So, again, which is it?

I often enjoy the more contemporary pieces that PNB produces every year (and also frequently hate them for being gimmicky and, yes, BORING), but you know what? Virtually no one other than subscribers go and see them. Most seats are empty for the contemporary reviews, even on a Saturday night. Blame comfort, blame the gray hairs, blame whatever you want, but the fact of the matter is that most contemporary dance (and opera and "classical" music) annoys and bores the average audience member more than stodgy classics like Swan Lake.
20
@17,

The masses do not like contemporary dance.
21
@12,

Swan Lake is only two hours long. If a two-hour-long ballet is one and a half hours too long for your liking, then ballet of any kind isn't right for you. Nothing wrong with that, by way. It's just that even the crowd-pleasing Nutcracker is nearly an hour and a half.
22
I'm genuinely amazed by how badly so many of these commenters have misread her article. I can only assume they read the headline and skipped to the comments section. She even specifically praises Peter Boal for increasing the amount of new works at PNB, let alone making it very clear how much she loves dance. Really, people, read the goddamn article a second time. You weren't paying attention and you just look like assholes.
23
Right, take non-dancers to the Nutcracker.

And don't take anyone to the Opera, especially not The Ring, heaven forbid. Like I did a few times.

Oh well, art must survive somehow.
24
@3 - GROW UP. Getting negative reviews is a normal part of being an artist and if you can't handle it, you can quit and find some other line of work.
25
@19: That's a marketing problem. Ballet attendees and young adults are almost mutually exclusive groups.

I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it, but many years elapsed between my discovering a love of dance and my realizing that riveting, boundary-pushing, brilliant contemporary art could and did happen under the seemingly stodgy umbrella of "ballet".

In fact, it was smart marketing that reeled me in. PNB placed ads in this very paper highlighting Jiří Kylián's surprising Petite Mort and Nacho Duato's breathtaking Jardí tancat. They even included a Stranger-specific discount code.

That got me through the door, and I was hooked. Three years and PNB-facilitated exposure to Wheeldon, Ochoa, Goecke, and Dove later, I trust Peter Boal enough to plunk down a few dozen dollars on almost anything he programs that doesn't seem aimed at the withering "legacy" audience.

I dare anyone to be bored or unmoved by Ulysses Dove's Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven, performed just last month. Unfortunately, the 60-ish subscriber couple next to me didn't have the chance to be won over; they left after the Balanchine.

Ballet companies just need to get young people exposed, and not to Swan Lake. As Melody's brilliant article makes clear, that would be the way to repel them forever.
26
(For the record, here's my personal demographic summary: male, straight, single, under 35, equally likely to be found at On The Boards or at a hardcore punk show.)
27
Synthesis: here's an idea to blow everyone's minds.

Maybe Melody is wrong, but not reprehensible!

I think there is an error in her logic, as pointed out by 19. But at the same time, she's expressing some reasonable ideas about ballet effectively and sympathetically.

Having read this, I feel more inclined to go and see some modern dance.
28
@25 "I dare anyone to be bored or unmoved by Ulysses Dove's Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven, performed just last month. Unfortunately, the 60-ish subscriber couple next to me didn't have the chance to be won over; they left after the Balanchine."

Did you consider the possibility that as subscribers, they may have seen it already and not been that fond of it? PNB performs it every few years. Plenty of people find Dove's work boring.Probably not as boring as they find Datzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, though.
29
This is something that piqued my interest back when I was a teenager: http://www.numeridanse.tv/en/catalog?med…
30
I think this article is dead-on. I know little of dance, but I got tickets to PNB's Next Step from my boss (she couldn't use them) last year and went with a friend. It was fantastic. There were several shorter pieces instead of a single longer ballet. It featured a mix of modern and traditional choreography. I'm sure the technically difficult dance elements in Swan Lake are more impressive to someone with a dance background, but for someone who knew little of ballet, it was a great introduction. If I was taking someone to see ballet for the first time, I would take them to that show.
31
@19

People don't flock to Swan Lake. People flock to the Nutcracker. Swan Lake just bombs less badly than all the ones that aren't the Nutcracker. But it still bombs.
32
Unless you are a classical music lover, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker will leave you cold. This is the problem far more than 'long and boring', 'younger audiences hate Swan Lake' and 'only pro's like Swan Lake'. Younger audiences hate classical music- period. Figure out how to solve that conundrum and this all makes sense.
One other thing- figure out how to make a ballet venue LESS STODGY. I'd like to schlep on into the venue like I'm going to a movie, not feel out of place and under-dressed there. And I'm not even young.
33
I notice that #3, 5, 7 never commented on whether Ms Datz was credentialed enough, or able to write something worth reading when she wrote her previous 4 articles about dance. It's only when she writes something about not loving what they love that she needs to prove her bona fides.

Sorry folks, that's not how it works. Either she's competent or she's not, whether she's praising you or critiquing you.
34
The first producton of Swan Lake I saw was the Moscow Ballet, and it was boring boring boring. I didn't start enjoying ballet, after that, until I saw the Harlem Ballet's production of Giselle, reset in Louisiana, where the story made sense. The PNB production of Swan Lake makes much more of an effort to be 1. interesting dancing and 2. tell the story. The key to a good Swan Lake is something hard to find in ballet -- great acting. Stanko , for instance, had the knack for drawing the audience in emotionally to a not very sympathetic character, and at 6'5", made for a sexy hero, even before he started to dance. However, the main problem with Swan Lake is that it tells a story that most of us have a hard time relating to. For instance, there's a reason why Disney changed the ending of "The Little Mermaid" from "mermaid dies of a broken heart." It is also takes three acts to tell a story that, in a play or film, would be considerably shortened. I do not recommend Swan Lake for an audience member new to ballet.
35
It seems like each PNB season in Boal's tenure has three full-length ballets and three rep programs. Unfortunately, I often find the full-length ballets boring, in part because the same ballets have been performed frequently at PNB in the last ten years. I am a subscriber, but I skipped Cinderella and will be skipping Swan Lake: I've seen both quite recently and...the bloom is off the rose for me. (Seattle Opera's "Cinderella" was a revelation, though.)

I'm glad to hear a little discussion opened up about what attracts ballet newbies (and what might end up turning them off) and what enchants subscribers. Not that the comments feel much like "discussion" at the moment. From what I hear around me at the ballet, I suspect I'm in the minority of subscribers in my preference for new works and maybe my preference for shorter works...but we're out there, too. It's difficult to please everyone, and I have to give Peter Boal credit for trying to balance the often-competing needs of his constituents while attracting new ballet fans.
36
Strike my comment. What I meant to say was, "What #25 said." Nicely done, d.p.
37
Yes, large arts organizations should challenge audiences to see new works. That said, I don't recall reading anything from The Stranger last fall when PNB had four world premieres playing to half full houses. I'm pretty sure "that PR machine" got cranked up for those, too. What else do you suggest be done to help push audiences toward those?

If "Swan Lake" regularly played to empty houses, or "A Christmas Carol," or the "Ring" cycle, or Beethoven's 9th, they wouldn't keep getting trotted out. I think it's great to talk about how to get more people into dance and theater, but a lot of people are only ever going to be interested in coming out occasionally to see something they're already familiar with, and I think that's perfectly ok. #35 has it right: there are different constituencies among arts patrons, and there is, thankfully, room enough for people with many different tastes in this city.
38
@31 is your standard that any performance "bombs" if it doesn't turn a profit? I might have some unfortunate news for you about the non-profit arts world, if so.
39
A review seemingly based on the idea that Swan Lake only appeals to "die-hard" dance fans is so fucking misguided that this article has to be a great work of trolling (and succcessful in that aim based on the number of comments it has received in comparison to Ms. Datz's other reviews). Yes, we can all agree Swan Lake, although a classic, is undoubtedly over scheduled. (I'm in NY, and we got the one act Balanchine version this winter season at NYCB followed by the ABT's annual trotting out of it this June during its residence, with a likely full length version during next year's NYCB season). However, as alluded to by the review itself, companies continue to rely on the show because IT MAKES MONEY (which implies that, ZOMG, people might actually like it). So, the suggestion that the way to grow an audience for dance is to "push" more experimental or progressive performances on the dance going public at the expense of more formalist or classical works that both keep the lights on AND serve as a gateway into the works you suggest we champion is, at very best, deeply misguided.

More importantly, it also obviously says nothing about the performance you were purporting to review. So, it may be advisable next time to avoid the frosh year term paper phrases like "the art-consumer" dollars dropped on "drab" works and actually focus on critiquing the performance that you were presumably paid to watch. Having been in SEA last weekend, and fortunate enough to catch two shows, I can say that the performances were tremendously satisfying, and I suspect your readers would've benefited more from a coherent criticism of the performances,.
41
About 3 years ago I (a moderate ballet fan) took my then-boyfriend (a military officer and former college jock) to Swan Lake. I remember him loving it. Just to make sure he wasn't putting me on in order to get laid, I called him up after reading this article. He remembered it vividly and raved about it. He remembered the lead dancers more clealy than I did. It's the only ballet he's been to before or since, and he loved it.

Maybe my friends, jock/military notwithstanding, are more interesting than yours.
42
After reading this, I'm puzzled and wondering what's wrong with my friends: I've taken many of them to PNB's Swan Lake over the years, and they've all loved it. Many have gone back to other ballets on their own and some have even become PNB subscribers. But then, I'm in my 40s, which means my friends and I neither hate classical music, nor do we have trouble maintaining our focus for three hours (especially since the supposedly three-hour run time of Swan Lake includes the intermission, making the actual seat time closer to two hours). And even though we're not dancers, the artistry and technical difficulty of Swan Lake's choreography was apparent; I'm unclear why that would be easier to identify in modern or contemporary works (which I also enjoy).
43
After reading this bizarre review, I'm puzzled and wondering what's wrong with my friends: I've taken many of them to PNB's Swan Lake over the years, and they've universally loved it. Many have gone back to other ballets on their own and some have even become PNB subscribers. But then, I'm in my 40s, which means my friends and I neither hate classical music, nor do we have trouble maintaining our focus for three hours (especially since the supposedly three-hour run time of Swan Lake includes the intermission, making the actual seat time closer to two hours). And even though we're not dancers, the artistry and technical difficulty of Swan Lake's choreography was apparent; I'm unclear why that would be easier to identify in modern or contemporary works (which I also enjoy).
44
Whoops, apologies for the double post.
45
The Stranger Is So Goddamned Boring. So why do people keep reading it? Maybe they are such cynical dumbfucks they really have nothing better to do with their time. If the Stranger was truly pushing cutting edge art, maybe they could critique PNB, but the hacks at this paper write such trite and uninformed crap about dance, having a snotty ass piece like this is simply a reflection of how pathetic this rage truly is. KD Niehoff's thoughts are still valid: http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/we-st…
46
Once again, Ms. Datz makes several valid points but doesn't get her facts quite right. She knows that "Swan Lake premiered in 1877" but mistakenly claims that "its choreography . . . hasn't changed much since the premiere. . . . Classical ballets are frequently based on the choreography of the masters who originally set them (in this case . . . Marius Petipa and his student Lev Ivanov)." In reality, Julius Reisinger choreographed the 1877 Moscow premiere. Swan Lake as we know it today reflects the Petipa/Ivanov choreography of the 1895 St. Petersburg revival.
47
This is a puzzling piece of writing. Ms Datz seems to enjoy and appreciate the artistry and skill of Swan Lake but then complains that her friends find it boring and that the PNB does not present enough works by new choreographers, etc. Right before Swan Lake, the PNB presented Modern Masterpieces with such stunners as Dancing on the Front Porch of Heaven, In the Upper Room with music by Philip Glass, etc. and even with fewer performances than Swan Lake the audience was noticeably smaller every time. The PNB season pattern seems to be a classic alternating wirh new works. (Disclaimer, i work at McCaw but am not affiliated with the PNB. I just find it terribly sad to see dancers giving it their all to a half filled house) Instead of being fashionably snarky, perhaps Ms Datz can apply her writing skills to encourage her peers (with short attention spans and a phobia of classical music) to attend some of the more contemporary productions. The PNB regularly offers discounts to young adults. With two intermissions, the actual dance portion of Swan Lake is a shade over two hours. Also, this particular version has been rechoreographed significantly. The finale is very different than the one presented in the Black Swan movie, by comparison. I do appreciate her attention given to dance in our city, and look forward to more of her critique in the future. But Swan Lake is deservedly a well-loved work of art and will fill theaters for the foreseeable future. I feel sorry for anyone unable to appreciate its combination of ethereal beauty and demanding performance, but to each their own.
48
Well, I TRIED to read this. I really did. But I couldn't get too far into it. Because, guess what, it was boring as heck. Know your audience author-dude. The thing with Swan Lake- and what makes it so magical, is that most people have an acquaintance with it already- even if it's just some half-remembered christmas broadcast that they barely watched. So when they sit down to see it (even ballet newbies) they can APPRECIATE it, the story IS familiar, it IS simplistic, the better for you to take in the nuances, the acting, the artistry etc. Have you ever watched children watch Swan Lake? They are ENRAPTURED because they GET it. I've taken many people to see Swan Lake and I never had anyone complain about boredom (that's for the opera in my experience, which is much more obscure for the people I've dragged to it.) If you can't sit down and watch an amazing display or athleticism, artistry, choreography, costume, dancing, music etc without checking your phone or bouncing your leg- maybe the problem is with your attention span? Or lack there of? Also, for comparison's sake I took a middle-aged friend and complete dance newbie to see a modern dance performance choreographed by Benjamin Millepied and she couldn't stop talking all the way through. Because she was bored. She didn't understand it. It's not her fault, she's not rude, it's just the vocabulary of modern dance hasn't infiltrated the masses the way the vocabulary of classical ballet has (also I think some of the atonal music was off-putting for her). I was totally into it because I could see how he was playing with classical forms AND modern stuff- remaking old dances, using old stories in modern ways. My point is- there's room for both kinds of dance- modern and classical (thank god) but to complain in a shallow way that the 4 attention deficit people you took to see Swan Lake "were bored" is NOT the way to get more people to love/support/see modern dance. Also, point of fact- Swan Lake is re-run over and over again because it and Nutcracker are most companies money makers for the entire year. They get to do interesting new things that no one comes to see because tickets to the big two sell out every year. It's like opera companies and Tosca. They HAVE to run it. For which I am glad. There are very good reasons why Tosca, Swan Lake, and Nutcracker are considered masterpieces. You're not taking a chance on a $100 ticket (for one) when you go see any of them the way you are with an equally expensive ticket to see an "interesting new choreographers" work.
49
@45, you're missing the point of reviews in general. putting aside the fact that this WASN'T a review of the show, but rather a critique on programming, what you and Niehoff miss is that it DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE ARTIST INTENDED. period. art is interpreted, those interpretations are put forward as opinions and recommendations. yes, the stranger's tend to be snarky. that's how they do it. but it doesn't make their opinions any less valid. when Niehoff complained about Kiley's observations, she failed to see those observations from an objective standpoint. of course she knows how much work was put in by the company, the designers, etc. of course she knows the predecessors and influences of other dancers. but none of that matters. we don't. if those intricately choreographed observers come off as extras, that's not kiley's fault. it's how he interpreted it. if her vision failed to come across exactly as she intended, that's for her to go back and fix, not admonish the audience. she claims we need to move beyond the idea of "getting it wrong", but that's exactly what she's telling kiley in that article, that he got it wrong. she contradicts herself several times, but the point is, the intentions of the artist stop meaning a damn thing the second the curtain rises. after that, it's all on the audience. and there is no way to "get it wrong."
50
You lost me at "brilliant" and "Amy O'Neal" in the same breath. Try again.
51
Oh hey look everyone she got us to talk about art
52
So someone who thinks its perfectly fine for her "artist" (yeah, really?) "boyfriend" to text and talk loudly during a performance has an opinion I should listen to?
53
@52 "So someone who thinks its perfectly fine for her "artist" (yeah, really?) "boyfriend" to text and talk loudly during a performance has an opinion I should listen to?" Thanks, wantonwoman---in my disbelief over the "column" I overlooked how rude and obnoxious this person and her "artist" boyfriend are. Anyway, this will be my last post as three friends and I have decided the Stranger should be relegated to the role of Fox news in our lives---- ignored as nothing but trashy sensationalist polemical BS. See you at PNB and the Beacon Hill library!
54
Melody Datz stop trying to be a hip writer. You just don't have it.
57
Swan Lake is awesome, your friends sound like tools (why even waste the cost of the ticket if they clearly aren't interested in dance?) and most contemporary ballets put me to sleep. Call me a philistine or what you will, but I like to be able to latch onto a story, even if you consider it simplistic (though it is sexist - funnily enough, most stories are)

Maybe it's not your fault - I'm sure a lot of people's eyes glazed over after reading your first paragraph, and the editor probably screwed you over with the stupid title and easily answered question at the top.

Hey Dominic @17? "The death of fine art will be curators and companies that chase away the masses who are trying to join your party." The masses love Swan Lake, dude, so blow me. If you want someone to blame for why people are perpetually uninterested in the arts outside of the Dead White Men schtick, you have no one to blame but yourselves and the rest of your cohorts in the pathetic fucking abattoir you might charitably call 'journalism' or, god help me, 'arts criticism.' You're embarrassing yourselves.
58
Fucking kids getting all up in my aristocratic age high art

GET OFF MY FUCKING LAWN WITH YOUR WOLF PARADE BULLSHIT
59
Sounds like you can just watch Billy Elliot and see more of the heart of Swan Lake in the last five minutes of that film than in an actual performance of it.
60
Every arts organization fights with this. You want to attract a younger audience with newer, edgier works, but without alienating the bulk of your subscribers/supporters/donors. Every theatre company has to decide between doing Bat Boy the Musical to attract one type of audience, My Fair Lady or Arsenic and Old Lace for another, or a new playwrights' festival. I'll give you three guesses which ones consistently pack the house.

I think PNB is actually doing a damn fine job of balancing between newer works and the time-honored chestnuts. For what it's worth, I like their staging of Swan Lake, and my totally-ignorant-of-dance husband was enraptured by it. In the same vein, I'm sick to death of the Nutcracker, but you'd be tarred and feathered for suggesting they drop THAT one.

Some arts organizations go the safe route and only do the safe, familiar, much-loved Importance of Being Earnest and Grease. But eventually, their audiences get older and older, until the performers are having to use body mikes because no one in the audience can hear anymore. Some do exclusively new works to tiny audiences of hipsters. And some really make an effort to balance between the extremes.

There's nothing wrong with having a Nutcracker or a Swan Lake to pay the bills. There's nothing necessarily inherently more virtuous about a new work, either. Some are cold and boring and sterile.

At least people are talking about live performance. :-)
61
As a ten year subscriber to PNB, I have also been to at least three Swan Lake performances in the past ten years. I love Swan Lake. It is beautiful. The performance on Friday was beautiful. Having taken ballet classes as an adult, I have particular enjoyment of seeing this classic ballet. My two children, ten and 15, both loved it. Why do you go to Swan Lake if you don't like it? Why was your date so rude as to text during the first act? If you and your friends want to see modern dance, why not go to a different performance at PNB, or something at the huge selection of dance available? Or if three hours and four acts is too long, why not go to something shorter? That is the real question. There is dance at UW, Spectrum, On the Boards?
63
I'm not really concerned with whether Melody's right or wrong in asserting that Swan Lake is overdone by production companies.

What stands out to me is: boring or not, who the fuck texts through a ballet show? Was your "sexy artist" boyfriend fucking 14 years old or something?

Either leave quietly or sit still like an adult until intermission. Sounds like one of those types who uses a self-manufactured "eccentric artist" label to justify acting like a garden variety slob.
64
Could it not be considered part of your job to direct readers to less obvious, but perhaps more interesting choices than "Swan Lake" instead of complaining about what they do choose? Especially since you have taken FOUR people to see it, thereby perpetuating its importance. "Swan Lake" is dry, dusty, and tremendously old-fashioned. These things are not made up for by 32 fouettes, which are often not that well done.

"Carmina Burana" is a good suggestion, the music is great and it's not too long.

"Onegin" is wonderful and has a more modern sensibility. Bonus - the woman doesn't die!

"Romeo and Juliet" is a story everyone knows so they won't have to worry about getting lost. Definitely the Prokofiev score and NOT Tchaikovsky, preferably the John Cranko choreography.

One more thought... Who are your friends? If I was taken to the ballet, even to "Swan Lake", I would make it all the way through and I wouldn't send any texts. You may want to seek out a better class of friend.
65
Wonder if Melody's education as a "bunhead" included studying the history of ballet? "Swan Lake" allows one a glimpse into this art form's origins; it's a homage to the past. I didn't see anyone leaving, but I saw a lot of people, young and old, on their feet applauding. Tchaikovsky's music was playing in my head for days. I went with a person who's not necessarily a ballet fan, but he keeps an open mind and is curious about the world. He loved it. I go to the opera, but I can't say I would take every person I know along. And I will certainly never say "The Barber of Seville is outdated and goddamned boring, so the Seattle Opera should perform Jesus Christ Superstar instead." To each her own, I guess.
66
This was a whiny piece of crap writing. It's the sort of childish drivel I expect from a teenager. How old are you? Must've been a really slow week at The Stranger for you to submit this piece of offal. I find all ballet rather boring but I wouldn't write a long-ass diatribe against it in a major alternative rag. I wonder what other literary gems you've produced, Melody Ditz.
67
Might I remind everyone that her review (credible or not) is purely a matter of opinion. If you like the ballet you like it. If you don't then you don't. Who cares if you disagree with what she says? And who cares if she doesn't like the ballet? And further more,who cares if she wrote a shitty review? If that is honestly your main concern here then do remind yourself that this is the internet. The performances are going to sell out regardless. So everyone should get their panties out of a bunch.
68
i love it. mesmerising, enchanted. an ultra refined, early modernist gothic master artwork with a fascinating and unique textual history. a sick and disturbing fairy tale about the power of choice, truly upsetting. so beautiful on every level. ultimate.
69
God bless the internet. In my youth, volunteering at a home for the mentally infirm was my only opportunity to hear semi-coherent pablum spouted by people who had been exposed to so little in life. But now, from the comfort of my rocking chair, I can read the work of Melody Datz and millions of other philistines from every corner of the globe. I feel so much better about myself just knowing that there are people like her.

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