The saying goes, “If March comes in like a lion, it goes out like a lamb, and if March comes in like a lamb, it goes out like a lion.” Well, we don’t have any lions at these latitudes, and not too many lambs either, but boy, we sure have a lot of dogs!
Please note that if you’re not a dog lover, this issue of the Tribune may just overwhelm you a little. We’re all dog (and cat) lovers here at the paper, so you’re going to find lots of photos of (wo)man’s best friends throughout these pages.
Truth be told, I had never attended a dog show, until the IIIrd Gran Perroton (Dog Show) held at the sports stadium a couple of weekends ago. Sure, I never miss the famous Westminster Dog Show on TV, and all the others that are televised, but like everything else, there’s nothing like experiencing something – live. What a wonderful experience that was! Hundreds of dog lovers and owners, children, and of course …doggies - of all sizes and all breeds. It made me feel so good to see how many people attended the event, and how very much they loved and took obvious care of their pets.
Many local VIPs were in attendance as well, including our Canadian Consular Agent, Lyne Benoit, with her two furry friends, Rita Kunz, dog trainer extraordinaire Monica –who also acted as mistress of ceremonies for some of the events-, Bruce’s (of the super Bruce’s Back Alley Bistro) lovely wife, Julia, was there with Bruno, their Doberman-Rottweiler mix, etc. etc. I’m just sorry that I didn’t listen to my friends who said I should register my 100-lb. “puppy” in the Large Breed Beauty Contest. She could have won. Oh well, I’ll just have to attend next year’s event.
And talking of events, can you believe that our little town, all the way down here by the shores of the Bay of Banderas, will be hosting a Grand Ballet? And all the way from Saint Petersburg? Wow! Now I haven’t figured out if these dancers are from what used to be the Kirov Ballet – or not. It really doesn’t matter. As far as I’m concerned –and this IS an opinion column…- any dancer trained and dancing as part of a troupe in Moscow or Saint Petersburg or Riga, is excellent.
I was lucky enough to see the Kirov Ballet in the land of the midnight sun, in that amazing city called Leningrad when I visited it, and it cost me a whopping 6 Rubles! In the most incredible venue… But that was then, and this is now. According to Wikipedia, “the Mariinsky Ballet, affiliated with the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, is one of the most famous ballet companies in history. The company was known as the Imperial Ballet until the early 20th century. Following the assassination of Sergei Kirov, they were renamed Kirov Ballet but reverted to the original name after the fall of the Communism ... Following the October Revolution of 1917, the ballet master Agrippina Vaganova determined to continue the traditions and methods of the Russian Imperial Ballet. Her method laid the groundwork for the formation and development of classical ballet in the world … The choreography school of the Mariinsky Ballet, the Vaganova School, named after its most celebrated teacher, prepared many of the greatest danseurs in history, including Anna Pavlova, the great Nijinsky, George Balanchine, Rudolf Nureyev, and Mikhail Baryshnikov … During the Cold War, however, the company faced the problem of some dancers refusing to return from Western countries they toured, while others were transferred by Soviet authorities to the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. In this way the company lost great dancers, such as Nureyev and Baryshnikov.”
I’m looking forward to see that level of art again. Just as I’m looking forward to the fabulous shows our own little Santa Barbara Theater has in store for us these days, especially Sol’s one-man show, and the one called “Opening Night” directed by Eileen O’Leary and starring other friends of ours. Wow! The theater season sure is closing the season “like a lion”!
In the meantime, I’ve been getting ready for visiting relatives, so I’m not sure how much I’ll be telling you about – other than restaurants and of course, the Big Event at the Botanical Gardens.
I’m just going to wish you all a wonderful week, and make some suggestions: be kind to each other, share your good fortune with the less fortunate, get out there to see the beautiful Humpback whales while you still can this season, don’t forget your sun block, enjoy the spectacular spring sunsets, and have fun! (Not in any specific order of importance.)
Hasta luego. pvmom04@yahoo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment