"Saturday Night at the Ballet in Madrid"

Last night I went to the ballet in Madrid, performed by the Compañía Nacional de Danza with artistic director Nacho Duato. The Teatro Real was not sold-out on this cold, clear night but nonetheless was well-attended by both young and old alike, some wore furs, dresses, and high heals while others were in jeans, t-shirts, and tennis shoes. Several men wore suits - or simply blazers and button down shirts and jeans like me.

It was 2 part performance but the principal part was the second, "El Jardín Infinito" or "The Infinite Garden", a 65-minute homage to the Russian writer, playwright, and physician Anton Chekhov on the 150th anniversary of his birth. This came after the 20-minute break - which was probably a good idea. (read more...)

I had no idea you were a fan of the ballet MM ! ( I definitely am , though I choose my performances .. some can be over long ) . Having seen Tchaikovsky´s Nutcracker Suite at The Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow I was hooked .. And surprised to see teenage boys ( many ) going to the performance . Ballet stars ( men and women ) were considered "heroes of the USSR " and are still considered almost like sportsmen . I need to see some more ballet !!
I visited Chekhov´s and Tchaikovky´s graves in Russia ( amongst others ) .. The Russians still lay many flowers on the graves of the artists !
From your picture this seemed a modern ballet ? Looks good !

I wouldn't say I'm a fan but I do enjoy it to some degree. In fact, I had the opportunity to go to the Opera tonight in the same Teatro Real but opted instead for last night's ballet. The last opera I saw there lasted like 4.5 hours and used no props except for a single chair - a modern opera.

Yes, last night's was a modern ballet, without a doubt. The dancing was great, that's for sure, but it was contemporary with odd, exaggerated movements. Not your Swan-Lake style pirouettes and such.

But it was nice to be there and, at least.

Saludos, MadridMan

I love modern interpretations of ballet . There´s a guy in the UK ( now internationally famous ) who has choreographed some amazing modern ballets . My favourite was Swan Lake ( I went to see it 4 times in London ! ) . He uses men to play the swans instead of women . The idea is that Tchaikovsky´s original idea was that the main character ( swan ) was agressive . Matthew Bourne hired Adam Cooper from the Royal Ballet ... Man I cried every performance ... Adam Cooper and Will Kemp were astonishing .. such athleticism !
Adam cooper subsequently appeared at the end of the Billy Elliot movie .. playing the grown up Billy Elliot .
I took my mum to see it . And we had coffee before the performance at my all time favourite coffee bar " The New Piccadilly " in Denman Street ( near the theatre ) . This Italian owned bar looked after me since I was 16 years old ... Sadly ( like "Las Damas ") it closed recently . But the incredibly handsome Adam Cooper and Will Kemp were there in this small bar !! It was amazing . I have my signed poster jajajaja .

http://www.swanlaketour.com/

Ohhh .. I love Matthew Bourne too Steve. Infact, I'm taking my Mum and daughter to see Swan Lake, with the men swans, in less than two weeks in Manchester.

We'll attempt to locate a coffee bar that looks like it might attract man swans before the performance :-)

Looking forward to it very much!

If you never seen Matthew Bourne´s Swan Lake before prepare to hold your breath for a few hours as well as laugh and cry . It´s spectacular !
But I DO have to find a ballet to go to here in Madrid . Thankfully I do have tickets to go and see an amazing flamenco show on Wednesday .. 2 guys ( they´re a couple ) with a company of dancers . They´re from Madrid and I´ve loved watching them over the years . Like Swan Lake it´s the sort of performance that gives you goose bumps ( Piel de gallina ) and when you leave the theatre you´re head will be buzzing and you´ll have a huge smile on your face !
Oh and Jo-Anne ... I can´t pretend that I am damn jealous of you , your mum and daughter !!!.. I look forward to hearing about the show in Manchester !