Cultural Activity 3: My Night at the Ballet

Ladies night out!  

Me, Ashley, Amanda, Kelli, and Brittany, all dressed up!  When we bought the tickets we were told to be sure and dress up because it was a Gala Night and there would be champagne for everyone!  The girls all put a lot of time and energy into what they wore and how they did their hair.  It was fun to clean up!

This is the Paris Opera House, or the Academie Nationale de Musique, on show night.  

This is what we walked into!  They really know how to do a Gala Evening!  I just wish I'd had more then my iPhone for pictures.

These flowers draped on all the balconies were gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!!

Having fun!

Someone was going to have a very fancy dinner before the evening was over.  This was truly an over the top evening, and it was so fun to be there

My seat is behind one of these doors. All the balconies are divided into boxes with their own private door.  When you're ready to sit down, you summon an usher and they open the door with their key, and help you to your seat.

These were waiting for us at intermission

My seat! 

My box. 

This is my seat, I sat on the stool in the back (medium price ticket!), but the seat was very comfortable, and the view was great. I had a stool for my feet and I could see the whole stage perfectly.

I was alone in the box for a few minutes so I just took pictures.  For a little girl from Provo, let's be honest, this is pretty schmaltzy! 

Brittany and Kelli in their box.

No putting your coat in your lap here!

My view of the stage.

Intermission:  I couldn't really get a good picture of this without looking a little unsophisticated, so this is the best I could do. In the shadows there are people in very swanky clothes drinking champagne in fluted goblets and eating very exquisite little hors 'derves.  I was thrilled, because for those of us non-drinkers they had fresh squeezed orange juice.

Melissa, I'm thinking of something like this for our next wedding.  You know, we can just wrap up those deck posts!!

And yes, there was a ballet.  It was the Tokyo Ballet and the show was a modern ballet putting a modern 

twist on an ancient story of the Samurai.  It really was very beautiful.

Pictures are from the internet, so not awesome, but it gives you an idea.

The audience loved the show and they received several curtain calls. 

But one of the more interesting  for

me was that no one clapped in my box until just before intermission and at the end of the show.  People 

on the floor clapped between numbers, but in my box nothing, and since they all spoke french, and

I didn't, I figured I'd follow the crowd.  

All the lights and limousines for those who use them, and for us, the subway....

...and a wonderful walk through our little village of Croissy.

Je souhait que mon mari avait été avec moi!