Date Night - The Ballet

28.04.10

Date Night

Dinner - Rockpool Bar and Grill

Ballet - The Silver Rose at the Sydney Opera House

James and I decided to have a grown up and arty date night for April. I purchased tickets to The Silver Rose at the Sydney Opera House when they had almost sold out. I was lucky to buy 2 seats in the 6th row, a complete beginner's fluke!

My mother-in-law drove into the city with her overnight bag to mind Abigail and stay the night in the spare room. We showered Abigail in kisses and headed out for an early dinner at Neil Perry's Rockpool Bar and Grill on Bligh Street in the city. James had the signature dish, a wagyu beef burger. He loved every bite as we enjoyed our swish surroundings.

We were grateful for the slow downhill walk from the restaurant to the Opera House to walk off dinner and enjoy the fresh autumn breeze. There was a chill in there and we both wore jackets and scarves. I'm no expert at the ballet, but the crowd were dressed quite well. I've been before and seen people wearing tracksuits and thongs. We saw mothers with young aspiring ballerina daughters, old ladies linking arms, eating dainty sandwhiches and couples, like us, enjoying a night of culture and art.

The 3 acts were all different and lovely in their own right. I find my mind often wanders watching the ballet, but I am drawn to the music and the exquisite bodies of the dancers. We could see the orchestra from our seats and during the performance, I spent a few minutes watching 1 violinist flipping pages of her sheet music and staring at the conductor. I thought to myself, why are you staring at this woman, ENJOY the dancing!!

This was James's 1st time to the ballet and while he confessed it was rather long, he did enjoy himself. Hopefully he will agree to another performance with me later in the year. He gets to choose our next date night, he mentioned seeing a movie which we NEVER seem to do anymore. I was hoping for an art exhibition but what can you do. If he happily sat through 3 hours of ballet, then I will return the favour by sitting through a 3 hr action movie for him. The things you do for love.

xx

Ballet Images from David Kelly