Ballet’s better than Strictly says Blur’s Alex James: The only times I cry are at weddings and the ballet
If you are even remotely interested in Strictly Come Dancing, ballet is guaranteed to blow your mind.
My first visit was reluctant. I thought the orchestra wouldn’t be loud enough and well, there’d be men wearing tights — but I was in tears by the end of the first act…
… Music from the big ballets has only endured because it is brilliant pop music. Amazing tunes — my three-year old daughter gets them. And she loves the dancing. Orchestras are huge engines capable of wringing intense emotions from an audience but ballet adds a visual dimension to the music.
Of course, the dancers are the stars of the show. They are like Premier League footballers, the best of the best of the best…
… At the ballet you get to leave life behind and step into something magical for the evening — and it’s cheaper than watching Bon Jovi hacking through Livin’ On A Prayer at the O2.
The only times I cry are at weddings and the ballet.
via The Sun
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
