American Ballet Theater Fall Season

I won’t lie. The idea of seeing another opera fills me with tedium. For a start, why are they so long? And what’s with the audience? The last time I went there was a man with a leather vest and giant gold crucifix around his neck.

No, it won’t do at all. Which is why when I need a fix of posh old school culture. I turn to the ballet.

Handily, American Ballet Theater is round the corner from my place of work and so it’s easy enough to catch some high quality prancing.

You have to give it to ballet dancers. They are in superb condition, probably even better condition than most professional athletes.

The sight of them tends to make you very conscious of the huge spare tire round your middle.

The elegance and grace of their movements can tell a story with just the motion of a highly toned arm and is a sight to behold.

The performance I saw on Friday night took in Brahms Haydn Variations, a newly choreographed piece by Jessica Lang with music by Fanny Mendohlson and an appearance by America’s most famous ballet dancer Misty Copeland, as well as a company Ravels’ Daphnis et Chloe.

Each piece lasted no more than 40-minute, leaving multiple intervals in which to drink champagne. Now that’s what I call culture.