Ballet - From The Wings

Watching a ballet performance from the wings can be a totally different experience from what you get being in the audience, although isn't necessarily a bad thing. True, the view is skewed roughly 90 degrees, but what I found fascinating was seeing the dancers switch to and from their performance and offstage states. Seeing a strong performer go from all-smiles to breathing heavily and sweating profusely within 2 seconds of exiting stage gives one a more profound respect of how hard it actually is to dance. On the same note, seeing how dancers with character roles meditate and prepare for their entrance is almost like watching a prayer unfold before you, on the altar of grace.