"That girl in pink is so rude!"

[Balletmom]

My daughter just finished her last performance in the regional ballet company's Nutcracker production. As a Party Girl she walks down the aisles of the theatre in the opening, they carry lanterns and act as if they walking to the party at Clara's home.

So she said, "Today as I was walking, this woman kept waving wildly at me. I couldn't wave back because we are supposed to pretend the audience isn't there. Then the woman said, "That girl in pink is SO RUDE!" So I just turned and looked straight at her and smiled."

She said the woman had a taken aback expression on her face.

My daughter said, "What did she think, it was some kind of one-way door between her and the dancers?"

 

[Suze]

My daughter said, "What did she think, it was some kind of one-way door between her and the dancers?"

 

Balletmom your daughter is wise beyond her years!!  I predict that she will go far with whatever she choses to do with her life.  At least she seems to have the wit to deal with whatever comes her way.   

suze

[Yarnspinner]

Unbelievable!     And good on your daughter!  She has class and sense and knows how a true performer is supposed to go about her business.  Clearly the lady in the audience doesn't understand the concept of the fourth-but-invisible-wall.  Are people THAT dumb these days?

[Clara Bow]

What in the world was she waving about?? It's the height of rudeness to try to disrupt an actor (or dancer or performer of any kind) during a show. I think your daughter's reponse was spot on the money.

[Balletmom]

Apparently, she thought it was like a Disney parade or something, she could wave at the dancers and they of course would give her a special wave back. Or something.

Thank you for the nice words about my daughter. She does surprise me with her ability to handle things like this at times.

On another note, one of the other dancer moms said that on the night she was watching the performance, the couple behind her had a young baby. The baby cried and fussed throughout Act I and into Act II before the father finally walked out with the child. But they kept leaning forward to poke her on the shoulder and say, "Sorry!" Guess they thought that made it all better.
Oh, and there is a large flat screen tv in the lobby...for late arrivals and fussy children--you can still see some of the performance. Not perfect, but better than disrupting the audience all around you.

However, another couple with young children was just wonderful. They had a toddler girl and a preschooler boy. They came out during intermission. The little boy was dressed in a cute little suit and the little girl was all dressed up, too. The parents told the ballet volunteers in the lobby, "This was wonderful! We were so thrilled to be able to watch almost all of Act I. As they get older, they can make it through more of the show. But it was so wonderful to just see what we did tonight."

[IndianInlaw]

Gosh, now I'm going to wonder why she singled out your daughter...

By the way, she handled it like a trouper.  Some children might have been upset at being singled out and labeled rude by a nutjob.

[Balletmom]

Only three or so dancers get to come down the aisles for each performance, and there are two aisles, so she didn't have the opportunity to be rude to anyone else. About 5 more walk across the stage--there is a very thin curtain (I'm too tired to remember the proper name) which is actually transparent, they shine the right lights and it opens to Clara and her parents in their home...and then the guests arrive.  Pretty traditional opening.

Oh, and I forgot to add this piece of not so politeness--after the performance the soloists such as Sugar Plum, Nutcracker, etc., go into the lobby in costume to give autographs. (We have to use the traditional Green Room as a dressing room in this venue...it's a lovely theater but short of dressing rooms.) So my daughter, in street clothes as required by the Company, but still with obvious (to me at least, and you would think to others, I took her out to dinner tonight after the last performance, and she got enough looks from the other diners to remind us that false eyelashes and extended eye-liner on a 14 year old the size of a 12 year old is odd-looking) from her stage make up and her hair that she was a dancer--

There was a long line for Sugar Plum autographs. The lobby is very crowded. She said, "Excuse me" to a woman and her grade school daughter. The child responded with, "We're waiting in line for SUGAR PLUM."

She answered, "I just want to get through to get to my dad."

The woman said, "No."

Fortunately, she didn't answer back with, "Hey, I know Sugar Plum, and if I say so, you aren't getting an autograph" or anything snotty like that. She just blinked and went around. The very long way.

We had a good laugh over it, actually. My daughter does really good voice imitiations (which someday I will let her teachers know about) and I am pretty sure she got the intonation just right.

[Sandi Papaya]

My youngest aunt has been a career professional dancer (no, not of the exotic variety), so I grew up going to her performances (first at dance school, then later, as she progressed, in all different settings, such as theme parks, cruise line entertainment, and more) and understanding that distracting my auntie during a performance by waving wildly (or otherwise trying to attract her attention) was a no-no. Your daughter is grace under pressure personified (and she's got a snarky streak, too - kudos, girlie!).

My aunt's been working in sort of a big theme park show for the last few years, and I've caught this performance over 100 times (literally), and I'll always sit in a spot where I know I'll be easily visible so that at the appropriate times (the "parade scene" down the aisles, where the performers are supposed to wave to and interact with the audience, and at the final curtain), I can catch her eye and wave to her and she'll respond in kind - subtly. I don't jump around waving both arms and screaming her name, and if I don't catch her eye I wouldn't dream of considering her (or any other performer) rude - she's onstage, she's in character, and she is DOING HER JOB.

I can't count how many of her performances I've been to, but I've been going to dance recitals, theme park shows, musicals and all manner of dance shows for as long as I can remember. If a very young child can grasp the concept that the dancers onstage (or walking up the aisles, when the performance demands it) have practiced for many weeks, at least, to do what they are doing and are NOT to be disturbed during the performance, I don't understand how an adult can't grasp that concept.

Seriously, are we living in a real-life version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers?  What is WRONG with people these days that they have no manners, anywhere they go?

Has this woman never heard of "suspension of disbelief," I wonder?

[HogwartsAlum]

Wow, what a trouper! 

Our figure skaters in our club get a lot of feedback from the audience when we perform (applause, laughter if it's a funny program, etc.), and we are rather prone to go "WHOOOOO! YEAAAAH!" to each other as we skate for encouragement.  But I don't know why anyone would wave like that at someone on stage, let alone an adult trying to get the attention of a child she doesn't even know!!!!!!

[Mom2PBJ]

but still with obvious (to me at least, and you would think to others, I took her out to dinner tonight after the last performance, and she got enough looks from the other diners to remind us that false eyelashes and extended eye-liner on a 14 year old the size of a 12 year old is odd-looking) from her stage make up and her hair that she was a dancer--

Not everyone realizes that stage make-up is like that.  When my ODD was 7 years old (she's now 21) she was a member of the old Houston Oilers organization, the Jr. Blues, dancing with the Derrick Dolls (Oilers' cheerleaders).  After their first game Good Morning Houston chose 4 girls from each area to be on the show the next morning (12 in all), and my ODD was one of the chosen ones.  Of course, we had to let some neighbors know so that someone could take our DS to school (kindergarten) and tell her teacher she would be late and why.  Anyhoo...after the performance, she changed clothes and we got most of the stage make-up off (stubborn stuff) and she went onto school, still with eyeliner, mascara, red lips (but most of it gone), glittery hair.  The kids and teachers who didn't know her made comments about her appearance but boy did her friends and teachers jump in to correct everybody.  Her class and my DS' class watched her on TV that morning.  I don't think much got done in her class that morning as she had quite a few close-ups and everybody wanted to know what it was like.  Of course, the office ladies were weird and attitudie...Just because you were on TV does not mean an excused absence. 

[Balletmom]

Yes, the office ladies always do have a little bit of attitude, don't they? I know my daughters miss school one day every year for this...but they always look at us with a polite but slightly you-are-crazy look.

I remember the Derrick Dolls! Boy, does that bring back memories!