I love
ballet! I confess I didn’t understand it for many years, and only went now and
then when invited because I didn’t want to seem un-cool. But after many years
of “not getting it”, I finally “got it” after an evening with friends who
invited me to see Diana Vishneva in “Giselle” at the American Ballet Theatre
(ABT). Then decided that, living in a small apartment building with some of the
most recognizable members of the New York City Ballet (NYCB), it was pretty
ridiculous to not make the effort to understand what these highly respected
artists –and athletes—did for a living.
But as I
learned to love ballet—I didn’t love spending money on tickets. Thankfully, I
found a fantastic way to do NYCB and ABT (which does a May – July residency at Lincoln
Center).
Yes, you
can $45-60 tickets almost all the time. But to my mind, the absolutely best
tickets if you are on a budget are the $29 seats on the side of the stage on the
3rd and 4th tier for the NYCB. You can also get cheap tickets for ABT on the
side as well. Go to the NYCB
website and the ABT website for tickets for both, click on the
seating chart, and pick up the cheap tickets along the side on the upper tiers.
Sure, these have a slightly partial
view, cutting off the bit of the stage to the side you are on; but you see
virtually everything, and the biggest advantage is --you are sitting ALONE
along the side --no one is next to you! This is a coup for someone like me, who
hates sitting next to or behind people at events where the experience is often
marred by other people's weird habits, talking, height, size, etc. Also, upper-tier seats
are often preferable for many ballets, where you miss a lot by not being
able to see the intricate formations from above.
.
Tip 1: Bring your binoculars so you can see just how amazing these
dancers are!
Tip 2: Get the side seats as far BACK from the stage
as you can, as the view is less cut off.
