THREE LITTLE MAIDS

Too much Architecture and too little Ballet is wreaking havoc on my geometries.  I see soft curves instead of hard edges.  Flat planes instead of arches.  Worst of all, circumferences are expanding!

This Foolish Aesthete needs a return to the intensity of rehearsals and backstage camaraderie, the way it was during our photo shoot.

I snapped my friends here "behind the scenes" as we were all getting ready for the photo shoot.  The studio -- normally our temple of discipline and artistry -- was demoted to dressing room.  Ballet bars morphed into hanging racks for tutus.  Mirrors reflected hair and make-up, not elegant feet and fingertips.

Ballerina friends: S, Y & Y
Preparing for our photo shoot,
In our black tutus
Photo: The Foolish Aesthete

Maybe I shouldn't de-mystify the world of ballet.  Degas was way ahead of me anyway.  In his case, though, I think it was rather accidental.  He painted ballerinas, on and off stage, because they sold well.  Hmmm ... I have yet to profit from my postings.

Edgar Degas, "Dance Class at the  Opera"
Source: The WebMuseum

I digress.  Back to my friends.  All three ballerinas happen to be Japanese.  Even more remarkable, they are the same height and build.  They make a natural pas de trois, as they do in a soulful dance to music from the film, "Memoirs of a Geisha."  You guessed it -- they were robed in silk kimonos and carried parasols for that one.

Now, -- and I have blogger Polka Dot: Street Style Pics to thank for reminding me -- those of us raised on the hilarity of Gilbert & Sullivan operettas might think: three geisha girls ...

Three Little Maids from School Are We, from "The Mikado"




I'm sure my friends would rather not to be associated with "The Mikado's" caricatured view of the Japanese!  And of course, their performance was too lovely to be equated with these comical creatures.  But I thoroughly enjoyed writing this post while sifting through YouTube's collection of Gilbert & Sullivan stagings, reminiscing about my brother's stage debut as the Captain of the Pinafore in his school production, and acknowledging that my Ideal Man is really the Modern Major General!

For more photos from my Ballet Series, click on ==> Arabesque, Curves in Space, Contrast & Compare.

Have a beautiful weekend!