I usually consider myself a well cultured man who is open to the things that make civilization. While a missionary in Austria, my fellow missionaries mocked me for preferring to visit "museums, art galleries, places of historical interest" as well as attending the opera, theater, and symphonic presentations. Despite all of this, until last night, I had never seen ballet. So, I went. I decided this was not necessarily a mistake to not see ballet.
Everyone has their own tastes about what they enjoy and prefer as recreation in their free time. I do some of the typical masculine things like hiking, shooting, skiing, etc. I also do things not technically considered masculine in modernity like gardening, playing piano, learning languages, flying kites, etc. I have only been to two modern concerts in my life, one because it was free and the other because I had no plans that night. The rest of my music is actually considered "classic rock" or classical. Unlike my peers, music is not my life. I spend very little time listening to it. When I found someone who liked ballet, I decided to invite her so that I could find out if I liked ballet.
I found ballet to be interesting albeit repetitive. I know it takes a great deal of effort to do what they do, and I appreciate the skill demonstrated by last night's performance. However, I have seen similar skill in olympic skating. However, I found the dances largely redundant, and I could not believe that it took over two hours. My companion felt like it had been shorter than it was. Truth be told I was glad it was over.
For the right person, I imagine I could visit ballet again. For my own part, there are other things I prefer. I will admit that I am human, that I have my faults, and that sometimes I'm less refined or cultured even than I like to admit. However, I still enjoy museums, art galleries, and places of historical interest, which largely dictate my vacations. Some people i know who consider themselves more refined think it wondertastic to vacation and sit on the beach drinking rum and tanning all day. I don't find that culturally enriching.
In the end, I suppose this just reflects varied tastes and preferences that we all have. How wonderful that we live in a time of variety so that there is something pleasant in the arts for almost everyone! You may love ballet, and if you do, good for you. If my child wanted to try it, I would support it, knowing how many long hours my parents watched our efforts in martial arts. Not that I didn't enjoy the ballet; the dancers did an admirable job, and it was a pleasant evening, particularly since summer has finally arrived in force. I just prefer other things to a greater degree.
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