ashley + david review swan lake

A week and a half ago we saw the classic ballet, Swan Lake at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in downtown Los Angeles.

It should go without saying - Ashley was really excited and David was very nervous about the night that lay ahead. Ashley braved the nightmarish traffic heading east on the 10 - fortunately she got there in plenty of time for us to take a few snap shots.

The first item of business was to make sure that we were dressed for the part. Like our night out for Wicked, we decided to err on the side of formal, as opposed to too casual. It was a good decision. David was pleased he was in a suit when he saw some joker trying to impress a girl in jeans and a stretched out polo shirt.

The ballet can be an intimidating event for many men - but David devised several coping techniques that allowed him to safely pas de bourree through the event. Here are his tips:

1. Bring Candy. When your mind starts to wander, nothing brings it back home like some peanut m&m's or snickers. Cram a few in your mouth and you are good to go.

2. If you really want to get a grasp on what's going on - read the plot synopsis in the program. It really helps you understand why a guy spends 30 minutes dancing around the room, when really all he wants to do is go hunting with his new crossbow.

3. Find one character who's part you could play, that night, with no practice. It might be hard at first, but there's one in every cast. Some of the guys hung out on the sides for most of the performance, but inevitably they'd run out and do some crazy jigs that I could never do. However, there was this one guy who just walked around introducing people all night long. I could've easily done his job. Ashley said I couldn't have done it as gracefully because he was walking in four-inch squire platforms. Regardless, his job was easy and if I had to, I'd steal the show in that part.

4. It's ok to be impressed with the grace and beauty of the female dancers. They are tremendously talented. If you find yourself feeling the same thing about the male dancers - there's no hope for you... you might as well buy season tickets.

We were pretty lucky to see the performance. It was star-studded. The dude from Center Stage played the prince.

I wasn't struggling to get through the final act like David was. It ballet was more beautiful than I expected and I was so happy we went. One step closer to my big plans of seeing a Tchikovsky ballet at the Bolshoi one day.

Sometimes David likes to make fun of things I really enjoy. Anyone have any tips on how to get through the Messiah? Sometimes on Sunday mornings I try and sneak in a few pieces from the Messiah and it always ends in David doing an over exaggeratged vibrato.

David practices looking tough before entering the ballet.

We were all smiles after the ballet... for different reasons.

All joking aside, it was a really fun night out and I look forward to my turn to picking our next extravagant night out.