I have spent the first 71 days of 2021 thinking about my “2020 Year in Review” post.  There’s a printed draft sitting on my desk, and a million alternate beginnings in my head.  At the end of the day — these 71 days — my heart just isn’t in it.

For the sake of continuity, here’s my annual photo of programs from all the ballets I attended.

I did watch some streamed performances throughout the year, but I have no evidence; no ticket stubs, programs, T-shirts bought at intermission.  FOMO (fear of missing out) remains unexpectedly strong, despite the unusual circumstances.  There is now so much online that it is overwhelming, and I could no more watch all the ballet than I could watch all of Netflix.

Special mention is due to The Royal Ballet, a company I don’t get to see enough under normal circumstances.  Every stream has been a treat for me.  They’ve just made Elite Syncopations available to rent, recorded during their brief return to the stage last fall.  It’s a happy ballet, with Yasmine Naghdi looking ultra-glam, and I will likely watch it again.  

When the pandemic hit, I thought about putting this blog on hiatus. I didn’t, mostly because I imagined myself watching all the ballets streaming from around the world and then writing about them. Ha! That’s what I think now about that plan.

For now, Going to the Ballet is paused. I’ll be back here, eventually, as the spirit moves me.