I know it's all ballet all the time here at davidzaza.com... so I'll be brief.

I went to City Ballet twice last week--Friday and Saturday nights. Friday night was Benjamin's debut in Balanchine's Raymonda Variations. He was terrific, as was Jennifer Ringer. Amazing how they can move with such precision while moving so quickly. Glazounov's music is so over-the-top--pushing almost to schlock with tons of pomp and millions of little ornaments. It glitters and so does the ballet.

Saturday night was the single most thrilling performance of Balanchine's Agon that I have seen yet. As I was leaving the theater I was overcome with goosebumps, and then laughing sobs. Ridiculous sounding, I know, but I felt high from it. The casting was marvelous, especially Wendy Whelan in the pretzel-twisting pas de deux with Jock Soto. The audience went bonkers. None of my friends were there that night, so as I left, sticking my earphones into my ears, I knew that the only thing that could touch that aesthetic high is Bach. So I cued up David Oistrakh playing the A minor violin concerto and practically ran to the subway at 57th & 7th. It was a glorious night.

On a different note, I'm currently going bonkers for this indie-rock dance band called "!!!" (that can be pronounced as any thrice-repeated percussive syllable. Generally people refer to them as "chk-chk-chk" but I'm partial to a percussive and heavily French-accented pronunciation of "tarte tartin"). Their new CD is making me shake my rump-ah. I turned Damion on to them, too, and together we're going to see them on Friday night at Bowery Ballroom. They've got funky beats and lefty politics and sound a little like middle-period danceable Talking Heads. Amen. (There are some mp3 samples at their web site).