jOhn, I'm now thinking you began a good thread, in spite of yourself.

I studied ballet enough to know it's both difficult, and rewarding. There is a disipline involved that has helped me in many other aspects of my life.

I grew up watching the greatest companies in the world, and found myself getting spoiled for watching anything but the best.

Over the years, my interest has waned. I find other dance forms more interesting in that the dancers are not constricted to such a formal structure.

I've also been put off by the soaring prices in all the performing arts. If there isn't some kind of stripping down back to basics, we are bound to lose our audiences to cheaper fare.

The arts, whether it be ballet or opera, theatre, or folk music for that matter, needs to be accessable. Once it forgets that it's primary function is entertaining, enlightening, and uplifting people, they may as well pack it in...xx..e