On Saturday, August 20th, my wife and I went to see Swan Lake, the famous ballet with music by Tchaikovsky, presented by the City of Asunción Classic and Modern Ballet.
I thought the production would be passable, but I was in for a surprise. It wasn’t passable. It was gorgeous. The main roles were played by Slawka Ladewig, from the National Dance Company of Mexico, and Rudy Candia, from the North Carolina Dance Theater.
The wardrobe was super–sensational, done by the noted local artist Ricardo Migliorisi (spanish link). It was simply superb, luxuriant, and very suited to the occasion.
The sound was good although at some times was rather loud; it’s just too sad that there wasn’t an orchestra playing in the pit. It was just a recorded soundtrack. All in all, an enjoyable evening.
The tickets? Regular: $5, VIP: $8.40.
Some days ago, I read in the papers that the noted dancer Julio Bocca would be coming to Asunción. He would star in a presentation staged up in benefit of some poor women of the rural areas.
Tickets? well, it depends: $150, $100, $50, and $20. When questioned about the price, representatives of the charity that is organizing the event pointed out that this is what is usually charged in the rest of the world for that kind of artistic manifestation.
I think the price is ludicrous. Around Christmas 2001 I had been at a function of Nutcracker staged in De Vos Hall by the Grand Rapids Ballet Company, with music provided by the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra playing in the pit. The dancer was the noted Ms. Maria Kowroski, a Grand Rapids native and Principal Dancer of the New York City Ballet. I don’t remember the prices that were being charged at the time, but right now the highest price you can pay at Ticketmaster for the 2005 Grand Rapids Nutcracker is $45.00.
This is something that has happened from time to time in Paraguay: some noted artist comes –usually with support from the state at some level– but the tickets are ludicrously high. Fortunately, there are the exceptions, too. However, I am disappointed.
“But Mom, everybody is doing it!” I don’t expect prices for most things to be the same from one neighborhood to the next; how much more so across national borders. Slap them with a rolled up copy of The Economist.