Valentine's Day Weekend

Papa Joao, culture czar for the family, is very much like a walking, talking human version of the washington post's weekend edition. He is always up to date on the latest plays, movies and ballets frequenting the washington area and can give you a reasonable summary of various critics' disparate opinions on said performances. It goes without saying, however, that my dad is infinitely cooler than the Washington Post or Roger Ebert.

We call him the culture czar because growing up, he always knew what to see and where to go and got us tickets to countless events. For many years my brother and I had season tickets to the Shakepeare Theatre. We went to see ballet's and concerts. Although when we first started going, I was too young to fully understand Shakespeare, the words and scenes left an indelible mark on my imagination. I can still see the smoke rising above the caldron while the witches in Macbeth chanted their evil incantations. I can still remember sitting so close to I Musici that I discovered the power of five deceptively delicate string instruments combining to create beautiful music.

For my birthday this year he got us tickets to the ballet. This Saturday we will see the Mariinsky (formerly known as the Kirov during the Soviet era) perform The Sleeping Beauty. Russian ballet companies are known for their big, expressive style of dancing. The documentary Ballerina shows how young dancers at the mariinsky ballet embark on an arduous journey to turn their bodies into moving art. Yes, their technique must be precise and their turn-out perfect, but Russian dancers enjoy the same prestige in Russia as actors do in America. Each one has their own style and personality that comes through in their dancing. Most successful of these young Prima ballerinas is Diana Vishneva who is also a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. She has such a hectic schedule that she only danced in the first performance at the Kennedy Center.

Although I saw the company when I was young, I am really excited to see them now after having seen the documentary on their dancers and the operation of the company. Here is a review of the opening night's performance with Vishneva. Look for our review after we see the perfomance this weekend!