The Art of Ballet

Image: JR-art.net 

At the age of 14, I went from living with my art-student-rocker-mother to instead moving in with a grandmother who sweared by Tchaikovsky and ONLY ever used fine china (cue the wire hanger scene from Mommy Dearest except substitute the metal hangers with disposable plates, okay not that bad). The evening background noise usually included the volume from PBS 13's showing of "The Nutcracker"  mixed with my grandmother practicing scales on the upright piano in the living room. From a young age, I was exposed to the world of dance, most specifically ballet, and even had it as an after school hobby for a good 10 years of my life. I still remember excitedly bouncing around the dance shop after my dance teachers broke the wonderful news to me: "You are now strong enough to join pointe!" I even once wore my Capezio ballet slippers as actual shoes (why why why?!) while in the city taking a Theater class during Sophomore year. I can still almost feel the grainy NYC sidewalk beneath my soles. 

So you can only imagine my excitement upon reading that French graffiti artist and 2011 TED prize winner JR was invited by the New York City Ballet not too long ago to create a very large scale art installation as part of the New York City Ballet's 2014 Art Series. Although the JR/NYCB collaborative "Art Series" performance tickets are currently not available online any more, the large art installation installed on the promenade's floor will be open free to the public Feb 2-9. A huge vinyl photograph of the dancers will adorn the promenade floor - inviting all to literally step into the art. Street artist meets ballet - the surprisingly perfect combination.