Faux Pas?
July 19, 2008
Last night I passed the local ballet school on my way to the beach. A thirty-something woman was standing in front of the open window, looking in. Oh cute, I thought, children’s ballet class. I approached and turned to look inside, expecting toddlers in tutus. Instead I saw a group of adults dressed in black at the barre, in the middle of a beginners class. I did a double take and, oddly embarrassed, quickly walked on.
Later I wondered about my reaction. Was my embarrassment for me or for them, bunch of oversized students in leotards clumsily practicing demi-pliés? Why would it have been ok to stop and watch five year-olds clumsily practise them? Because I was somehow baffled at that woman spectator. Just glancing in while walking past and I already felt like a voyeur. But she just stood there, nonplussed, less than two metres away from the first person at the barre. If you were him/her, wouldn’t you want some privacy?
hmm yeah i’d definitely would feel uncomfortable if i were being watched by a random person if i were in such a class..
exactly!
i thought about it some more after writing this, and thought the main reason for discomfort is that these people still suck at what they’re doing. watching a prima ballerina twirling around a room is a different matter entirely, for all parties involved…
that’s true..
and i suppose the cuteness and innocence of watching children clumsily going about their business doesn’t always translate when you are watching adults doing the same thing, although there are always exceptions