“Romeo and Juliet” was a classic love story turned into a fabulous ballet performance put on by Boston Ballet Company on March 15. The show began at around 7:35 p.m. I arrived at about 7:15 p.m., just to make sure I was in my seat and settled when the show began. The staff at the Boston Opera House was great. They made going to the ballet a great experience. They greet every person that comes in and pleasantly lead you in the right direction towards your seats. 

After being seated, I like to do a scan of the audience. The dress code seemed to range from business casual to some older people dressing up for a night out—pearls and all. They offered alcohol and refreshments on the lower level of the opera house as well as a coat check.
When the show began, it took a bit to involve myself with the performance. I had to think back to high school when I read “Romeo and Juliet” to remember the story, but the dancers did a great job reminding me. The best part about going to see the ballet is that they are such good dancers. They don’t need words to tell the story. They do it through their movements. Misa Kuranaga, who played Juliet, moved flawlessly. She looked effortless to pick up and she didn’t even make a sound when coming down from leaps on her pointe shoes. 

The story continued, and you could tell the audience was getting more and more into the ballet. When Isaac Akiba, who played Benvolio, did his amazing solo performance, with leaps and turns you could only imagine coming from a professional dancer, the audience whistled and clapped for the solo. He made his performance playful, yet, at the same time, very put together and nonchalant.
Kuranaga as Juliet, and Akiba, one of the soloists, were, for me, the best part of the show. The audience could feel for them the most and communicated mostly sympathy, and expression towards their performances. Whether Juliet was upset about being married off, or joking around with her mother on stage, the audience made a connection with her.

The clowns also did an alternative form of ballet, which the audience really enjoyed. They were doing so many flips, jumps, and turns that I didn’t even know to be humanly possible. They were flexible and had great facial expressions, too, which added to the entirety of their performance.

All of the dancers who are part of the Boston Ballet are incredibly talented and worth going to see at least once. The story of “Romeo and Juliet” is timeless, but they also have a few different performances coming out over the next couple of months, such as “Beauty and the Beast.”

I would really suggest going to check out a show with one of your friends or a significant other. It could be a great opportunity to try something new and learn to appreciate all the hard work that goes into being about to balance on top of your toes!