As mentioned below, my friend and I followed her introduction to ballet by going to see the Queensland Ballet's "The Little Mermaid" -- a lovely, heartbreaking take on Andersen's fairy tale. It falls somewhere between a modern ballet and interpretive dance -- much miming and physical movement, gorgeous production, little actual technical dancing. It's immensely enjoyable, but of course it's difficult to watch it so soon after the Russian ballet without making comparisons, particularly when it comes to the classical steps.
After the initial "ohh!" about the gorgeous staging, my friend decided that she liked the dancing style better because it was more accessible -- easier to understand.
However, towards the middle of Act 2, came the inevitable: "The guys' lifts are not nearly as high"... then... "Her ankle shouldn't be wobbling, should it?"... then... "Ouch!" (about a 'thump' on landing). None of which stopped us gasping in all the right places, and crying shamelessly at the end.
All in all, we had a wonderful time, and loved every moment of it, criticism and all. But it is also interesting to note that it takes just one really "clean" performance for a complete novice to catch on to the idea of what ballet step ought to look like. Of course, as they say, "everyone's a critic" -- and nowhere is that more true than in ballet.
Having said that, if I ever get a chance to see "The Little Mermaid" for a third time, I will gladly go again.
Tango