Berlin

This is the Staatoper Unter Den Linden, in East Berlin, one of the theaters where the Berlin Ballet performs. This audition for the Berlin Ballet was an open audition, the only one of this kind that Lydia did. It was pouring outside. Walking around outside just wasn't appealing, so I took out my knitting and hung out in the cafe/lounge. It was fascinating. Several hundred dancers arrived from all over to participate. I heard many languages: French, Russian, Japanese... One young man near me described how he had arrived that morning from Australia on a 38 hour flight. The girls were first. The nervous energy of the boys remaining was unbelievable! Upstairs, the dancers were cut in stages, and exited much more quietly than they began. An audition of this kind ends with the director talking with just a handful of dancers. Obviously this process is very stressful for most, but exciting for a few!

I wish we had had more time to explore Berlin. Everyone says this city is amazing.  My impression is that it is a big exciting mixture of grandeur and arty funkiness.  The area where we stayed had art galleries and music clubs. In contrast, just a couple of subway stops away was the Staatoper Theater and the Pergamon Museum. Last semester Lydia took a class at Columbia University on Greek art and architecture and so she was very excited to see the Pergamon Altar and I enjoyed the guided tour she gave me through the galleries. There were many important works of Greek art that she had just studied. This picture is from a postcard of the Altar - I'm not sure if it really conveys the scale: it was gigantic! And the whole thing is surrounded by a beautiful frieze depicting the Battle of the Gods and Giants. I really have no idea how it could have all been transported from Turkey!

Berlin was our last stop. Sadly, the next morning we were on our flight back to NY. We definitely felt like we would have loved to keep "touring", but commitments back in NY were calling. It was wonderful to take this "mother-daughter" trip together, at this point when Lydia is on the cusp of leaving home. We got along really well! A lot of planning went into the trip. That and luck helped everything go smoothly. All the places we went were new for both of us, and we loved exploring and getting a flavor of each. And it was exciting that new doors were opened. I am happy for my daughter that she can go out into the world and do what she loves to do: DANCE!

tags: ballet  auditions  

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