This past Friday, our group was privileged to go see a ballet performance of Swan Lake. I was very excited to go for a few reasons. First, I have never seen a professional ballet performance and was eager to see one. Second, my cousin Victoria is a very talented ballerina and I wanted to take some photos and some video for her. Lastly, I wanted to compare Slovak attitudes towards the arts with American attitudes. 
The ballet itself was amazingly beautiful, especially from the balcony where we sat. I was a lucky one who had researched the story line and was able to follow it through out the ballet. The special affects used in sync with the music had me frequently at the edge of my seat watching in wonder as the performance below me unfolded. Unfortunately, I was unable to take any photos of the preform ace because of the "no photo" rule and because I was sitting by some Slovaks and I didn't think I could sneak any successfully, however I did manage to record some of the music but since my camera was by my phone. . . it is staticy.
I have found that the Slovakian culture seems to encourage the appreciation of the arts more so than the United States. Mostly due to the accessibility of tickets. For a student to attend a professional ballet performance at the main theater in Bratislava, it was only 2.5 euros!! In this aspect I find the Untied States lacking. . . to see the Swan Lake professionally in the USA it would have cost me at least $20 approximately and not including the cost of transportation.
Transportation: this is something that I have found to be amazingly useful here and I know that when I come back to the U.S. I will miss it. Here, it is only 10 euros a month to travel unlimited on any of the public transportation systems here in Bratislava. The transportation is safe, clean, and efficient. The bus/trolley/electric car stops are all well lit at night (at least the ones I have been to) and are kept clean also.
Alright, away from the side comment.
The ballet was amazing and even though they changed the ending (in the original ballet, the star-crossed lovers end up committing suicide together, in this version, the prince slays the evil man and saves the Swan Princess) I found it to be quite a charming story. For the most part the group appreciated the ballet but were glad when it was over, only a few of us showed any real contentedness with the ballet and any interest of seeing another one. On the whole, it was a very successful evening!!
The ballet itself was amazingly beautiful, especially from the balcony where we sat. I was a lucky one who had researched the story line and was able to follow it through out the ballet. The special affects used in sync with the music had me frequently at the edge of my seat watching in wonder as the performance below me unfolded. Unfortunately, I was unable to take any photos of the preform ace because of the "no photo" rule and because I was sitting by some Slovaks and I didn't think I could sneak any successfully, however I did manage to record some of the music but since my camera was by my phone. . . it is staticy.
I have found that the Slovakian culture seems to encourage the appreciation of the arts more so than the United States. Mostly due to the accessibility of tickets. For a student to attend a professional ballet performance at the main theater in Bratislava, it was only 2.5 euros!! In this aspect I find the Untied States lacking. . . to see the Swan Lake professionally in the USA it would have cost me at least $20 approximately and not including the cost of transportation.
Transportation: this is something that I have found to be amazingly useful here and I know that when I come back to the U.S. I will miss it. Here, it is only 10 euros a month to travel unlimited on any of the public transportation systems here in Bratislava. The transportation is safe, clean, and efficient. The bus/trolley/electric car stops are all well lit at night (at least the ones I have been to) and are kept clean also.
Alright, away from the side comment.
The ballet was amazing and even though they changed the ending (in the original ballet, the star-crossed lovers end up committing suicide together, in this version, the prince slays the evil man and saves the Swan Princess) I found it to be quite a charming story. For the most part the group appreciated the ballet but were glad when it was over, only a few of us showed any real contentedness with the ballet and any interest of seeing another one. On the whole, it was a very successful evening!!
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