When I think\u00a0of ballet, I think of\u00a0the movie, “Men in Tights” which I happened to catch a little of the other day (the Mel Brooks movie of 1993 is uneven at best).\u00a0Well fortunately I\u00a0was asked by my oldest daughter Sarah, to attend the Kansas City Ballet’s production of “Romeo and Juliet” on Sunday February 26th at 2 pm and this was no “Men in Tights.”\u00a0My wife Rita and I went to\u00a0mainly enjoy the company of my daughter and son-in-law. There was also\u00a0the promise of some fine dining afterward.\u00a0I also went because I am familiar with the\u00a0music\u00a0to the ballet by Sergei Prokofiev. Now Prokofiev is a quirky Russian composer with an uneven output of\u00a0classical music. That means there is some music that is captivating and some that is grating and irritating to listen to.\u00a0“Romeo and Juliet” is of the former\u00a0and is\u00a0some of\u00a0Prokofiev’s finest music.\u00a0What caught me further by surprise was the excellence of the ballet and the overall presentation with sets and dramatic gestures by the dancers. I was moved by their presentation of\u00a0this time-old story of thwarted love and family feuding. Honestly how could adults get in the way of such devoted lovers and not encourage their love for one another.\u00a0Selfishness and pride come to mind.<\/p>\n
Three things stood out to me. First was the dancing of the male lead, Anthony Krutzkamp. Now I have been exposed to athletes all of my life and I can tell you this guy\u00a0is an\u00a0athlete, yet very\u00a0supple and effortless. It sort of reminded me of Joe Montana throwing the football. Understated but quite effective.\u00a0It seems to me professional\u00a0athletes could learn a thing or two from ballet dancers about flexibility (this is not a new notion!).\u00a0It would probably help them a lot. Second was the farewell performance of a long-time dancer with the Kansas\u00a0City Ballet named Kimberly Cowen. I thought how this must have been a very emotional performance for her and while\u00a0I read she will appear in May at\u00a0a last “public” performance this had to be\u00a0a very bittersweet moment for her.\u00a0For all of the hubbub\u00a0surrounding someone like Peyton Manning,\u00a0there are so many professionals\u00a0dedicated to their art and craft that go unnoticed and under appreciated. Lastly, of course, is the Kansas City Symphony, a significant partner in this production. Sometimes when ballet music\u00a0is performed as orchestral music (or a suite) without dancers,\u00a0the music is played at breakneck speeds\u00a0with no regard to the tempo or the\u00a0subtleties\u00a0of the music. However with dancers in the mix, there has to be restraint because tempos that are out of control are not conducive\u00a0for allowing the dancers to execute their intricate moves. The conductor did a great job of watching the dancers and conveying the\u00a0desired tempo to the musicians. Even\u00a0with a\u00a0small force of musicians, most probably because of size constraints in the orchestra pit, the music came across as majestic and skillfully executed. Prokofiev loves to write passages for various instruments that go to the extremes of their range. The musicians acquitted themselves quite well and the brass never sounded too forceful or obnoxious.<\/p>\n
Once again a message\u00a0for all Kansas Citian’s, please check out a symphony, opera, or ballet\u00a0performance at the Kaufmann Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Kansas City. Support these local artists and their gifts.\u00a0There are some genuinely beautiful things going on and the arts so enrich one’s mind and soul. If you or someone you know may need counseling, please contact Lamar Hunt Jr. or see his website at http:\/\/lamarhuntjrcounseling.com\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When I think\u00a0of ballet, I think of\u00a0the movie, “Men in Tights” which I happened to catch a little of the other day (the Mel Brooks movie of 1993 is uneven at best).\u00a0Well fortunately I\u00a0was asked by my oldest daughter Sarah, … Continue reading