Pointes and Perspective #33 Quiet Is The New Loud

Quiet Is The New Loud

I went to see Philadelphia Ballet’s Swan Lake this past weekend with my two daughters. The girls bought me the tickets for Christmas, and we have been looking forward to our date ever since! My heart was full, as I watched both of them, who are now in their 20’s, turn back into young girls, picking out their outfits, going shopping together for a skirt that was just right for the event, and spending the morning applying make-up and styling their hair! I love that attending the Ballet, or a Broadway show, is held as a special occasion, the venue suggesting formality and fashion statements!

The performance was absolutely stunning. I am continually impressed by the Philadelphia Ballet. It is rare to find a wobble or weakness in this accomplished company. And we had three dancers looking for them! I often compare the dance world with Olympic athletes. Every Olympic game brings a higher jump, an additional rotation, a stronger performance, and a broken record. And every Dance performance I attend brings a longer balance, a more challenging lift, deeper fluidity, and bounteous ballon - the dancers “breaking records”, and leaving me wondering if there is a ceiling to what these human athletes and artists can do!

I couldn’t help but tear up when the 24 Swans entered the misty woodland set, full moon glistening, emboités in silent synchronization. And speaking of technical execution, the Swans topped it for me, in an understated moment, with a level of difficulty unknown to the civilian patron, but leaving this dancer breathless, as all 24 dancer’s bourrés ceased, leaving them in a silent, endlessly balanced, sous sus!

What filled my heart the most, though, was the audience! I have had the opportunity to see five Ballets at the Academy of Music in the past two years, and the audience etiquette is superb! Those who know me as a dance educator, are familiar with my love of etiquette, and my mission to keep it alive and pass it on. I not only teach etiquette as a tradition, but more so as a tool for success in building character and enjoying a rewarding life. I am so proud of our Philadelphia Ballet patrons!

The audience at The Academy of Music, consistently displays wonderful theatre etiquette. Their respect and attention paid to the dancers is impeccable. You can hear a pin drop in that theatre. In one particular moment this weekend, during Swan Lake, the lead male lifted Odette into a gorgeous overhead lift. The orchestration stopped for a moment while he held her, arms fully stretched, motionless, in silence. You didn’t hear a sniffle or a cough. I don’t think anyone was even breathing. It was such an effective and powerful moment, and the audience supported that magic.

I’m especially impressed with the children that have been attending the Ballet. It pleases me to no end, to see that every performance is sold out and that there is a large population of young children attending. I love ballet, and my wish is that all people will have the opportunity to patronize the art, especially the next generation! When I attended Philadelphia Ballet’s performance of Cinderella last season, there were countless children accompanying their parents, decked in their “Ballet Best”, many of them even dressed up as Cinderella! Sitting in that absolute silent theatre, knowing that they had been taught their theatre etiquette, OR that the Ballet was fully mesmerizing them (let’s assume both!), was so heartwarming and wonderful!

Many dance educators have been discussing theatre etiquette lately, because dance studios are currently in the middle of competition season. The competition genre is clearly dissimilar, however, the wish is that theatre etiquette could conceivably be integrated to an extent.

So what are the rules, courtesies, and long standing traditions that we have followed from the beginnings of theatre to today?

To begin, there are no specific dress codes, but it’s a special occasion and can be fun to treat it as such by dressing up for the event!

Arrive on time so that you are not disruptive to the performance and other audience members. If you’re late, the ushers will escort you to your seat in between acts or numbers.

Make sure to use the restroom before the performance begins and turn off your phone or put it on silent mode, and avoid using it during the performance.

If you have a program, take a look at it before the show to familiarize yourself with the story and characters.

During the performance, avoid talking or making noise.

Do not take photos or videos during the performance, as this can be distracting and may violate copyright laws.

Unless absolutely necessary, avoid leaving your seat during the performance. Respect the space by keeping your feet off the seats or balcony.

Lastly, applaud at the appropriate times. In the ballet genre the only time that you applaud during a piece is after a principal dancer’s execution of a very difficult turn sequence, jump, or balance. Then you applaud at curtain call, and may vocalize a “brava” or “bravo.”

My daughters grew up at a dance school that had both a classical division, taking many ballet and pointe classes weekly, and performing in the Nutcracker yearly, and also a competition division. So I spent many years in the competition circuit, as a mom, and a teacher. I am well aware of the theatre etiquette that teachers are recommending be brought into the competition genre. For example, waiting until each piece is over to come in and out of the venue, or reserving applause and noise for dancers entering or exiting stage, starting or finishing their pieces, and during select impressive moments of choreography.

Personally, I understand and enjoy the camaraderie and the energy of making some noise and supporting your team, but DO wish we could bring some change to the constant screaming during the entire piece. As someone who has not seen the choreography, it surely disrupts the story that’s being told, or becomes a “spoiler”, alerting me to upcoming choreography that would have been more impactful had I been surprised by it.

Incorporating some theatre etiquette into the competition scene may be positively effective. It will surely have to be inspired, upheld, and modeled by EVERYONE, from the competition staff, to the studio owners and instructors, to the parents and students.

We all must depend upon each other to create good patrons of the arts. Everyone’s contributions can show that what we do as audience members is not only fun and personally fulfilling, but also important, meaningful, and valuable to our society. Teach your students to take pride in their etiquette and character. Perhaps plan a trip to attend a classical ballet performance so they can experience beautiful theatre etiquette! And then encourage them to practice it at their next competition, modeling that…

Quiet is the New Loud.