Willard Spiegelman already mentioned the performances of opera superstars Thomas Hampson and Denyse Graves at the AT&T Performing Arts Center ACT III Gala last night, but I wanted to praise the ballet element of the event. Christopher Wheeldon’s Morphoses ballet company blew me away. I’ve heard the dancing described as “dreamlike” before, and that’s exactly what the sequences seemed like, to me. The first act, a dance with just a male and female dancer, was so lovely and intimate and definitely different from any ballet I’d seen before (though admittedly, I haven’t seen much more than the Nutcracker). I loved the second (or third?) act with the men and women in tutus, which was whimsical, pretty, and a little bit funny. Overall, the dancing was the highlight of my evening.
I’ve also got a tip for people heading to ACT III tonight: have dinner or a drink at One Arts Plaza beforehand and valet your car there. It’s just a short walk and a much shorter valet line.
