A Night at the Ballet

We had an awesome Saturday night date going out to supper and to see the Moscow City Ballet perform The Nutcracker.

Getting ready took me extra time Saturday as I struggled to find a dress that was flow-y enough around the waist to avoid highlighting what really looks these days like a middle-aged man's beer belly. (And I might regret saying it, but I am really ready to look more 'pregnant' and less just 'fluffy around the middle'.) It had been a while since we got dressed up to go somewhere, so it was a nice change of pace! I think Eric had forgotten what I look like with make-up on (beyond the obligatory daily mascara and lip gloss routine.)

And oh, how I love these shoes! I could wear a dress everyday, just so I could wear these shoes. Of course, with the hills around these parts and the amount of walking I do, my feet and legs and back would probably go on strike . . .

The ballet was absolutely incredible! I had never seen the Moscow City Ballet perform before, but I had read a good bit about them. Their costumes were supposed to be fabulous, and they didn't disappoint one bit. My favorite outfit came from the crowd though. (Please forgive me, but I would be remiss if I didn't fully report on the evening.)

So that's how you pull off black shoes with a white dress! The view from behind was especially stunning with a low cut back on the dress and an ecru-colored bra cutting right across the middle of her back.

And back to the ballet - it was great. The sets were amazing, the costumes perfect, the ballerinas tee-tiny with thighs the size of my upper arm, the men stunning in tights with leg muscles rippling (not that I noticed, but that's what I heard), and, despite it being a really, really long time since I took ballet, I would dare say their form was impeccable! It was two hours and R$200 well spent! They didn't allow photography, but I did manage to sneak in a couple at the end.

But the picture quality wasn't so great, so here . . . I borrowed one from their website to share with you.

I wasn't completely sure how much Eric would enjoy his first ballet, but he tolerated it well! He probably would have had an even better time if they had turned on the A/C for more than 30 seconds though - the poor guy sweat through the entire thing! Afterwards, I asked what he thought. He said it was alright and he'd pay about 20 bucks to see it again. And although he didn't like the scenes where there were 40 dancers on the stage all running around, he did like watching the pairs dance. He was especially impressed with the guy and girl featured in the picture above. "You know that part where he lifted her over his head and held her up there with one hand and then swooped her down and her head almost hits the floor? That was pretty cool - we should try that when we get home." With images of Emily cracking her head on the living room stone flooring and Eric with a serious back injury, I reminded him about the part where my ankle is larger than her thigh . . .

I do think it would be best if I didn't make him watch any more ballet or pair figure skating with me for the next several months though lest he get any other great ideas. (Hmmm, maybe that was his intention all along. The guy might be smarter than I give him credit for . . .)