Mio loves to play dress-up these days, and her favorite thing is to transform into a “ballerina” by wearing her pink dress. (Special thanks to Auntie Jina who gifted it to her — we’ve gotten a lot of wear out of it!) I think she doesn’t really understand what a princess is yet, as I’ve noticed she calls all princesses in pretty dresses in her books, movies, and shows “ballerinas.” As much as we try not to maintain gender neutral toys and activities with Mio, there is a part of me that can’t help but indulge in the full-on girliness of teatime and dress-up, as long as Mio’s the one that initiates it… probably because they’re the kind of things that I admittedly loved doing when I was a little girl, too.
I can’t believe how much our sweet little Mio has grown… I’m kind of in denial that she’s going to turn three in a month!
When Mio and I were back in Virginia last month, my mother gave us a dress that her friend from Japan had sent for Mio. It’s very over-the-top and super girly (yes, even to me!), and we honestly never have an occasion for Mio to wear it because it’s just so big and fancy. There’s so much tulle on the skirt that it seems like it would get uncomfortable right away, especially for a baby. Still, it’s a beautiful dress and I’d hate for it to go unworn, so we decided to put Mio in it the other day before she gets too big for it.
Here is our little ballerina Mio!
She seemed to be happy in it at first...
The back is very cute with the ribbon!
Cheesing for the camera.
Monsieur Degas, I'm ready for my portrait.
"Mommy, I'm drowning in this stupid dress!"
The dress really is kind of ridiculous.
"Enough already! Get me out of this!!!"
Oh well, it will be a while before Mio will be interested in ballerina dresses! I can’t wait until she starts doing her own sweet little pirouettes across the room…. 🙂
Dan and I had a great time going to the ballet for the first time together, as we went to see the Universal Ballet‘s performance of Shim Chung: The Blindman’s Daughter at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. Dan’s parents bought us tickets to the ballet as an early anniversary gift, and offered to watch Mio while we went out to relax and enjoy ourselves for the night It was so thoughtful of them, and we really had a wonderful time enjoying the beautiful ballet!
The ballet was performed at the opulent War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, and it was our first time there — the venue alone was lovely, a perfect setting for the brilliant ballet we were about to see.
The chandelier at the War Memorial Opera House
The stage with the curtains drawn before the performance.
The ballet Shim Chung is a modern day classical masterpiece that combines a traditional Korean folktale with western classical ballet forms. It’s a beautiful and touching story about how the main character Shim Chung’s devotion to her blind father moves heaven to restore his eyesight, and illustrates ‘Hyodo’ (å), dedication to serve one’s parents, which is considered a great virtue in Korea. I remember reading this story when I was young and was really moved by it even as a child — watching the story come alive in the form of ballet was truly a spectacle.
The acts followed the basic storyline of the folktale — here is a synopsis from the program.
Learning that an offering to the temple will allow her father to regain his sight, Shim Chung accepts a bag of gold coins from a Sea Captain, willingly agreeing to be thrown overboard to protect the captain’s ship from the furies of the Sea Dragon King.
After the ship’s captain takes her to the ship, a storm arises, and Shim Chung, offering a ritual dance and prayer, plunges into the sea to save the ship.
Under the sea, Shim Chung is welcomed warmly by the Sea Dragon King, who asks her to marry him and share his kingdom, but Shim Chung has learned in a dream that her father is still blind, and pleads with the king to send her back.
Arriving back in her homeland, she finds favor with the Korean King, who marries her, but still happiness eludes her until she finds her blind father. Embracing her father, Shim Chung’s tears of joy fall on his face, and he miraculously regains his sight.
The set and costumes were so striking and detailed, offering the audience a visual feast, and I especially enjoyed how they incorporated gorgeous Korean dress into the ballet. The act in the underwater sea kingdom was especially stunning, with a bejeweled set, and the ballerinas dressed in sparkling colorful costumes. Although I know very little about ballet, I could tell that the dancers’ skills and technique was top notch. They were all in sync with each other and the lead ballerina who played Shim Chung, Hyemin Hwang, was so graceful and expressive in her dance as she flitted across the stage almost effortlessly.
(All performance images above are courtesy of the Universal Ballet)
As the performance reached its climax and conclusion as Shim Chung was reunited with her father, I couldn’t help but tear up. The devotion, respect, and love that Shim Chung has for her father is really beautiful and is the epitome of the ideal of filial piety that is so treasured by so many Asian cultures.
Below are a couple photos I snapped at the end, when the performers received a standing ovation.
The Universal Ballet brings together Korean, American and Russian dancers, and its repertory has always mixed Western and Asian styles, with a strong Russian influence. Based in South Korea, is considered to be one of Asia’s leading ballet companies. They are currently on a World Tour, and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to watch them perform while they were in San Francisco. It was a very thoughtful and generous gift from Dan’s parents, and we thoroughly enjoyed it! 🙂
