While I didn’t enjoy the ballet as a whole I thought that the musical composition did a great job of telling a story without the use of text. While I wasn’t sure what was happening until I researched the piece a bit it was always very clear to me when there was a tenseness or a dramatic moment occurring through the use of dissonance and an increase in dynamic. The introduction brings you in to the piece and sets the scene. The introduction starts very soft and calm and gradually builds on a sense of tension that leads you into the beginning of the ballet. I have to admit, I had a very difficult time following what was actually taking place through the dance. However, the music synced up with the movements so well that it did make clear which of the movements were light and “playful” and which of them were meant to have a more serious tone.

This dissonance and tension were very clear and came to a peak in the very last scene when the female dancer or “chosen one” is dancing her last few movements before the sacrifice. While she is very calm and doesn’t move through much of the second half of the ballet all attention is on her as she thrashes and fights before she succumbs in this “sacrificial dance.” While I found this piece visually pleasing and I did enjoy this musical composition I would say overall that I did not enjoy the ballet due to the fact that I couldn’t tell what was happening until the very end. However, musically I thought that Stravinsky did a great job of telling the story. More than anything it was probably the fact that I am used to having some sort of text that held me back personally. After all, this was my first ballet not named “The Nutcracker.”