While I'm pretty sure that there are plenty of guys who enjoy ballet, you'd have to agree that the passion for the art is upheld more by the fairer sex. The truth is that if I were to ask most of my male friends to join us at the ballet, I don't think I'd get many (if any) enthusiastic responses.

We were invited to Maynardville (an open-air theatre in Wynberg) to watch Cape Town City Ballet's dress rehearsal of Les Sylphides and The Firebird. The fun thing about dress rehearsals is that we photographers are able to get so close to the dancers that we're almost sharing the stage. Take a peek at the two photo albums that I've created to see ballet photos that are unlike the ones photographers usually have the privilege of shooting.

Cape Town City Ballet will be performing Les Sylphides and The Firebird each Sunday from 24 January (this weekend) until 21 February. Guys, seriously, if you're not into ballet, but would like to earn 200 points, this is your chance. Les Sylphides is fairly traditional (but also reasonably short), but The Firebird (the main act, pictured above) will almost certainly appeal to everyone, even those who don't enjoy traditional ballet. And one of the shows falls, rather conveniently, on Valentine's Day (I think you get 1,000 points for surprising your wife/girlfriend/prospective girlfriend with tickets to the ballet on Valentine's Day). ;)

Tickets cost between R90 and R100. As I said last time, my advice would be to get seats reasonably close to the front. And do yourself a favour - read the Wikipedia articles on the two ballets (1, 2) before you go. It's not like a movie - it really helps to first understand what the story is about!