Carmen & Skin Divers

Sunday afternoon, morning for me… you know what that means Luminato is comin to an end, I kno sooo SAD!! It bein’ the last day… it wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t save the best for last. Believe me my peeps it wasn’t easy scoring the hottest tickets in town, Carmen & Skin Divers performed by the National Ballet of Canada at the Four Season Centre for the Performing Arts, and no word of a lie it was seriously like the day before that I got the go ahead for press passes… and they gave me two, they really like me. Honestly, if it wasnt for my new BFF Catherine Chang the National Ballet PR guru it wouldn’t be possible, and trust me I’m sooo glad she was able to make it happen. So, I’m super excited I can’t even breathe  and I haven’t been to the ballet since Karen Kain was a princple dancer… I know forever. Ok, the inside scoop on the day is ticketholders get a special lil treat before the actual show… of course you know I can’t miss that!! So, I guess you guys wanna know whats soo special that I’m actually early… its a Flamenco Performance by the Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company. I know.. how wicked-awesome does that sound!?! I was only like 10 mins late and technically I was only late for treat not the actual show… for real. So I’m takin’ in the spectular venue,  the design of the Four Seasons is sick! My ears peak  when I hear the Flamenco musicians are on stage.. I’m a sucka for a Spanish guitar. I dash up the stairs in my 6inch stillettos hopin’ not to miss a beat… I get to the top of the stairs but no dancers yet. I was relieved ’cause I definitely don’t wanna miss them. The strings of the guitar was captivating, but I’m still waitin’ on the dancers… and still waitin’, ok no dancers. I’m a little bummed ’cause I saw no flamenco dancers at all, and I was sooo lookin’ forward to it… I highly doubt I missed them in the 10mins I was late, but it is possible.

People began to disperse headin’ to their seats not wanting to miss a moment of the performance… as they hustle I noticed a trend, one I wish I never did!!! And I soooo have to comment on it, because its absolutely audacious… if your goin’ to the ballet  PLEASE dress appropriately. In case you don’t know what I mean… Imma break it down and give you the 411 on dress etiquette for the theatre, yes I’m goin there. First, foot wear… should not be of the rubber variety therefore no FLIP-FLOPS and if you have to wear sneakers please make sure the soles are intact & the laces aren’t draggin’. I’m sorry it had to be said!!! Next, clothin’… no daisy dukes, hot pants, cut-out no back shirts its not a freakin’ CLUB ladies its the ballet; jeans if you dare must have no tears, holes, and outlandish wash/bleachin’ patterns keep it clean & dark. The number of fashion violations and faux pas had my head spinnin’… I’m goin’ to be insisting that the Four Season has ROAR (Right of Admission Refusal) in full effect. Yes, my peeps you would be surprised what I saw in regards to outfits… and you kno, I can’t lead the people wrong soo I had to drop a lil knowledge for future reference. Sorry, I went off on a tagent… ok focused, the ballet… The lights dim the curtain rises we enter the world of choreographer Dominique Dumais’ Skin Divers, inspired by Anne Michaels’ dazzling book of poetry of the same name. The piece was innovative, fusing both spoken word and visual projections to highlight the choreographer… I mean the visuals were jawdroppin’ the images of the human body reflected as the dancers conveyed “the body as a living archive of experience, or a museum of memory”. Simply breathtakin’ like the poems themselves!! A quick change of set and of course what we’ve all been waitin’ for, Carmen. I’m sure like myself a lot of you have seen or heard of a million versions of the story Carmen… but this folks is said to be the number one stunna. This “groundbreaking, genre-bending re-conceptualization” of Carmen is created by the titillating Italian choreographer David Bombana, and peeps from the sensuous openin’ number from Tina Pereira as Carmen to my new love Piotr Stanczyi as Don José, this interpretation  proved to be modern and provocative… illuminating the pain, despair and violence that is pronounced in human relationships, while reminding us of the primal passion of  love which is the essence of the story. I can’t say enough the performance was tantalizing, intoxticating… to be honest the scene where Carmen is dyin’ in Don José arms OMG!!! can we say meltin’. WOW!!! hands down this is the best adapation of the Bizet opera out there… if I said it, you kno I meant it! Sorry just tryin’ to catch my breath still feelin’ a lil hot and bothered from Carmen… Honestly, folks I think I’m goin’ to have to get season tickets to the ballet (ballin’, yea right)!  No, on the real though… if this is what the National Ballet of Canada is sellin’… I’m buyin!!!

xoxo                                                                                                                                                                                                           Pinkie