The Fiddle And The Drum

Last night, January 22nd 2010, I had the privilege to go to Joni Mitchell's The Fiddle and The Drum, performed by Alberta Ballet. It was a ballet about the war between ecology and economy, about violence instead of caring for our planet. It was amazing. The strength of the dancers combined with the gracefulness of ballet, and the powerful message of the production was intriguingly beautiful. The song "The Three Great Stimulants" by Joni Mitchell featured in The Fiddle and The Drum stated, "Artifice, brutality, and innocence".

I saw the ballet with a good friend of mine, and during the intermission and afterwards we were interrupting each other constantly because we just couldn't keep our admiration for The Fiddle And The Drum to ourselves. The dancers, the music, the background, the lighting, the moves, we couldn't shut up. This brought me to purchase the DVD, which I watched this morning. It is gorgeously filmed, but does not contain all of the dances. I was happy with it anyways, of course.

This ballet was the beginning of the Cultural Olympiad for the 2010 Games, and it set some high standards.

The Fiddle And The Drum was the first ballet I had ever seen, and definitely not the last. It is inspiring and beautiful and deals with problems in today's society. The Fiddle And The Drum is terrific, and a certain must. You can expect to see some Joni Mitchell on next week's playlist!

*Also, a quick thanks for the comments and support for 'Dear Haiti'.

Works Cited

Hope, Charles. The Fiddle And The Drum. Photograph. Dance Victoria. Web. 23 Jan. 2010. .