God comes to us in theater in the way we communicate with each other, whether it be a symphony orchestra, or a wonderful ballet, or a beautiful painting, or a play. It's a way of expressing our humanity. ~ Julie Harris
I went to see Svengali today, a remarkable, but dark ballet about a man who possesses a woman and turns her life away from the legalistic and moral rigidity of the day. The Gospel reading today encourages us to love your neighbour as yourself. Svengali did neither of these. Instead he almost destroyed his neighbour and himself in the process.
The ballet is heart wrenching in places. La Svengali eventually finds the power to stand up to him but not enough in my view. I loved the first act but the feminist in me would have ended the ballet with a slap and a dance away from the man who treated her like a toy doll.
This ballet expressed the horror that many women who turn to the streets experience .The heartbreaking reality of their existence was difficult to watch at times. One of my friends said it was a depressing way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon.
God was there though, not only in the beauty of the dance, but in the darkness of the story, reminding us that we are not yet redeemed.
Peace,
Suzanne
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