San Francisco Ballet’s “The Little Mermaid”

So the other day I was surfing around the internet, and discovered a link to view the entire PBS recorded version of the San Francisco Ballet’s The Little Mermaid. Holy mess, I thought! I had wanted to see this during the season, but had regretfully missed my chance. But here it was! I could see it! And see it I did. It was one of the first times I’d been able to see a ballet recorded, and it creates a whole different experience. You can actually see their expressions and action clearly, instead of from the very back of the auditorium which always seems to be a full mile away from the stage.

Anyway, it was different. The movements of Yuan Yuan Tan as the Mermaid herself are fluid yet alien… honestly she comes across as downright creepy with that innocent, wide-eyed look she has going on. It was a very successful endeavor into making us realize that the Mermaid comes from a different world. The sets were interesting and on the minimalist side. I had some trouble telling when they were above and below water sometimes, but that wasn’t necessary to the story. Some of the costumes were a little odd too, but as this entire ballet was a departure from what I’m used to, perhaps it’s something commonly seen.

What really grabbed me about this ballet was the riveting emotional torture. Watching the raw pain of the Mermaid (and therefore the Poet character who essentially created her) as she saw the object of her love fall in love with someone else… it was intense. Since I’m no ballet expert, I am not sure what it was that really spoke to me, but I literally could not take my eyes off the screen. Perhaps it was being able to see the dancers’ faces properly for once, but it was agonizing and heart breaking yet beautiful all in one.

The link to see the video is here: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/episodes/the-little-mermaid-from-san-francisco-ballet/watch-the-full-program/1217/