Yesterday my boyfriend and I went to see a performance of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. I was very curious to see the choreography to Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana", a piece of music that I have been in love with ever since I first heard it. (For those who are not familiar with this piece: it is a cantata written by Carl Orff, based on latin texts that were found in 1803 in a Bavarian monastery). While parts of the choreography were intricate and interesting (such as the pas-de-deux in 'Cours d'amours'), I thought that other parts were sadly lacking in the fantastic energy the music displays (particulary "O Fortuna"). Also, I thought the abilities of the male dancers were not used as fully as they could have.
But apart from a not quite convincing choreography, it is always interesting to look around and see what the audience is like. Who comes to a Ballet like this, one that is not as well known as, say, the ubiquitous "Nutcracker" of the Christmas season? Or asked differently, who will spend around $50 per ticket to go see a Ballet that requires some more specialized knowledge? Looking around, I usually see - of course - dancers, dance students serious enough to care to go, and any combination of former dance professionals (like myself). And outside the dance community? Inevitably, it is "the cultured class": intellectuals, students, artists, people who are either affluent enough to afford the tickets or who care enough for the arts to spend the money. Noticably, the theater was crowded and seemed close to be sold out, as far as I could see. ("Carmina Burana" tends to be a crowd-pleaser).
But go and ask anyone of my students - kids who are already involved in dance at a competition school! - and the fewest of those will ever have heard of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (or any other major Ballet company), or classical pieces of music such as Carmina Burana. And try this with the general public and you will draw blank stares. Even college educated people often don't know "Carmina Burana". (And forget about anyone who didn't go to College).
So what kind of people take an interest in truly great art, such as you can expect from a company like the Royal Winnipeg Ballet? What kind of people keep great art alive through the interest and support they are giving them? And what kind of people, for example, rather spend Saturday night in a bar or in front of the TV?
After quizzing my boyfriend we decided it has not as much to do with affluence and priviledge as it seems. After all, an evening in a bar or a shopping trip to the Mall of America may easily cost as much. In the end, he said, it has to do with curiosity. People who are curious enough to learn something new will go despite the high price of the tickets. (That was certainly true for me).And what do we get back in return? In one word, refinement. Great art refines us intellectually and spiritually. Great art draws us to higher dimensions in both heart and mind. It is a force that lifts us to our highest potential, rather than to our lowest instincts. It is the Soul expressing not just "joie de vivre" but "joie d'existence". All that is alive must express creativity in some way, from the simple act of procreation in plants and animals to the creation of art in sentient beings. It is interesting and encouraging to note that even through the worst of times, art has always endured. It may have relocated - from ancient Greece to Rome, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire to Byzantium, or from the chaos of the Russian Revolution to Paris (as in the case of the "Ballets Russes"), but it always endured, even thrived. The human spirit will keep expressing itself and thus touch and lift the collective consciousness of humankind.
Maybe this can serve as an encouraging thought in times of economic uncertainty and ever constant cuts of funding to the arts. It can, however, also be a warning: we need not only enough artists, but also enough curious people who will support the arts.
