Don Quixote (the ballet)

Another of the great attractions I took my parents to was the Wiener Staatsoper. Since I figured they would rather see a ballet than an opera in a foreign language (and the only other thing playing was Wagner - yuck). Plus, my parents have taken up ballroom dancing, and become avid dancers. A ballet is right up their alley.

I myself love the ballet as well, and I wish I had gone to more while I was in Vienna! Though I am ridiculously uncoordinated, I did take ballet lessons for several years as a little girl. I decided I would make a magnificent ballerina - if only I didn't have to be dictated to and oppressed by the rhythm of the music! Ah well.

Don Quixote is a great comic ballet. I've seen Swan Lake at La Scala in Milan, and the Nutcracker a million times every Christmas season on TV, but that is the extent of my live ballet experience. Vienna does the Nureyev choreography, and it was truly magnificent. I can't help but feel I've missed out on something, going to all those operas all year instead! 

Regionalmusikschule Amstetten: Schulkonzert

Ballet recitals are a thing of my childhood. I remember being a very poor ballet student, never being coordinated, talented or practiced enough to take much pride in my recitals. This is something I regret now, of course, seeing the amazingness of Natalie Portman in Black Swan, or even some of my students participate in their own recitals here in Amstetten.

I was invited last Friday to see the year-end recital for the Amstetten regional music school by one of my students. It was interesting on several levels:

1. The recital was just about 3 hours and took practically every lesson the school offers into account: a Kindergarten choir, a brass band concert, an abridged ballet (Le Corsaire by Adolphe Adam), and a jazz/tap/modern dance recital.

2. Being able to see other aspects of students outside of school: their talents, their personalities, what they spend a lot of time doing, what they're passionate about. Dancing, playing the saxophone or drums, etc.

3. It's refreshing to know that not all Europeans are super-classy and dignified. The image Americans have in their heads is a bunch of Austrians at the Vienna Philharmonic in tuxes and ball gowns staring through opera glasses at the performers and clapping daintily after each set. This recital, however, saw plenty of families from the Kindergarten group get up and leave as soon as their kids jumped off the stage. Americans, though we can be crass, are not the only crass human beings on the planet.

4. I found one more thing to do in Amstetten!

I was pleasantly surprised at the level of enthusiasm and hard work that went into the recital, and found it very worthwhile to attend. Bravo!

Ball Saison

HAK orchestra and papier mache giraffe

Much like the Prom time in the USA - between mid-March and early April where the malls become choked with teenage girls looking for the "perfect" dress, boys look into renting tuxedos, and the likes of Seventeen Magazine produce articles on finding your perfect hairstyle for Prom, which of the 9,000 Claire's accessories is going to go with Katy Perry-inspired sparkles, and a quiz to take to figure out if you're a Promzilla (like Bridezilla. but for 17-year-olds). Here's a hint: if you have to take the quiz...you probably are.

Such things are not restricted to the USA, however. Austria also seems to have a prom-type thing - even a prom-type season! Which is going on right now. Lots of schools are going all out for these "balls." Last weekend, I went to the one at the HAK. The theme was Africa (not New York like the HLW or Hollywood like the Gymnasium) and there were plenty of people to enjoy it.

Here's a list of differences:

1. Alcohol is served in Austria. (How could it not be?)
2. Parents, siblings and other family of the graduates, teachers, alumni and community members are all invited as well as students (or at least they can buy a ticket...)
3. There is an Eintanzen (beginning of the ball - waltz and other old-people stuff for parents).
4. There is a "midnight show" where the students perform some talent show-type thing, or a dance, or a skit for everyone at the ball which they have rehearsed - done at midnight (obviously).
5. Food is also served. Cakes are especially popular (it's Austria, remember?)

An example of Eintanzen

Photos from Gym ball:

 <-- Statue of Liberty in Hollywood? Need you ask this question? Every town in America has a statue of liberty - that is, if you're from Europe.

And, why not?     --->

NB: I was planning on making two posts, but since I took my sweet time about it, and there wasn't really much to photograph or differentiate between the two dances, here you are: kurzfristig geuploadet, as one is known to hear in these parts.

Fashion, fun, starlets and safaris: you can have it all!

Zebra wall art from the HAK

Did these experiences make me nostalgic for my high school days? Not exactly, but I had a pretty good time. Did they make me think, "God, I'm old!"? Well, in a way. Did I become enlightened as to the vast cultural differences between Austrian and the USA? Actually, I've been to three of these now, and if I didn't get it the first time...shame on me.

New York - Feel the City

Last weekend, my school had a ball. The theme was New York City - and, of course, as the American in residence, I found it rather amusing.

The decorations were great. The Midnight Show (sort of a variety act the 5th year students directed and performed) was adorable - about this little Austrian girl who goes off to the big city and  gets into a production of Fame.

The venue was the sports hall across from the school. And the one thing that totally freaked me out was the drinking -  even though I should be aware of this by now. Seeing as kids can drink at 16 in Austria, they are going to...I was just a bit taken aback by how much they drank at a school function.

And smoked.   I felt like a strip of bacon by the end of the night. And smelled like an  ashtray.  

And there was not much dancing - except by the old people doing the waltz. Mostly it was just standing around with a beer or  glass of wine and listening to the band - there was a live band!

But it was enjoyable nonetheless.

 Here are the pictures I took of all of the great decorations.

There are also some pics of what most people did all night - stand around.

guy in Lederhosen

There is also a great one of this guy in his Lederhosen. Yes, in Austria some people really do wear their Trachten as formal wear. They are typically older, conservative people. But there were plenty of ladies in Dirndl wandering around. Most of the teenage girls wore American-style prom dresses...appropriately enough.

Subway - to hell?

my camera also had something to drink ;)

People *actually* dancing!!!

And finally: the Liberty Cafe. I sort of supervised/helped out here for a bit at the end of the night. I was kind of surprised how many people came to drink coffee at 3am - but perhaps I shouldn't have been!

Also, the overabundance of Statues of Liberty at the dance reminded me of my own Junior Prom, whose theme was "Paris in the Moonlight" and where there was an overabundance of Eiffel Towers as well. It seems national monuments can spontaneously multiply if they figure in a school dance theme...

Statue of Liberty #7?