Ballet Under the Stars in Lexington, KY

My Mom and I walked down the sidewalk toward Woodland Park. Cars were parked in every inch of available space along the road. I was told that people laid out their blankets and set out their chairs early in the morning for this evening event but I didn’t really understand until we came around the corner. I feel like everyone in Lexington was gathered there in that little park to watch Ballet Under the Stars. A sea of people spread out on blankets and lounging in folding chairs – laughing, talking, eating, waiting to be entertained. And now that I’ve been, I can see why!

We made our way in with our little chairs and parked ourselves near the back near the West Sixth tent. I’m never sad about sitting next to the West Sixth tent. 😀 There were a handful of food trucks – gyros, hot dogs, cheese sticks, kettle corn, gelato. There’s something pretty wonderful about the aroma that such a heavenly combination of treats creates in the night air.

People lined up at the Lexington Parks & Recreation tent to buy raffle tickets, prints, and t-shirts. I never win things so I rarely bother with raffle tickets but this was the one time I was sad I didn’t buy a few. There were so many good prizes given away throughout the night! If you aren’t following Lexington Parks & Recreation on Instagram/social media – you really should be! It is a fantastic way to keep up with the local events, like this one, that they put on! See their calendar of events here. I have a habit of running across Facebook events, check marking the box that says I’m “interested in going”, and then forgetting about it until it’s over and done with. So it helps to follow them and stay in the know!

The ballet began and everyone settled down on their blankets and chairs with their snacks. The ladies next to us had a giant spread of meats and cheeses paired with wine! These women were clearly seasoned veterans of this event. I definitely took mental notes for next time. There was a Madeline themed kids portion of the ballet to start. There is basically nothing cuter than tiny ballerinas!

Side story! A few months ago, I got the chance to take a ballet class. The instructor that is normally there was out and so there was a sub. It ended up being only two of us in her class and we asked that she teach us like she was teaching 3 year old kids how to do ballet. Ha! It was a sobering experience. One does not just decide to be a ballerina at almost 30 years old – in case you were wondering! Or maybe they do .. after many embarrassing and floppy classes. Anyway! I knew I recognized the instructor and it turned out that I knew her face from the Kentucky Ballet Theater events I’d been to in the past. I acted like a total fan-girl. I’d seen her perform several times and I couldn’t believe a REAL ballerina was teaching ME. Ha! I am such a nerd, I know. So when I realized she was in Ballet Under the Stars, I was so excited!

 

The ballet was so beautiful. I really tried to just be in the moment and enjoy it. I am so in awe by everyone in the Kentucky Ballet Theater Company – so much talent right HERE in Lexington, Kentucky! I think it can be so easy to live here and not know about all of the events, the art, the culture that is right in our own backyard. Life is hectic and we move through work, errands, and the little details of each day. We forget to look up and take a moment of restoration – a few hours to do something just for fun! As I like to say, vacation where you live! Think about all of the things you would be interested in exploring if you were just on vacation where you live and it really changes your perspective, right?

Thank you to Lexington Parks & Recreation and The Kentucky Ballet Theater for putting on such a lovely event!