By class time on Wednesday, I had only read a portion of Dostoevsky's The House of the Dead. After reading this much of the novel, I was very interested to see how the story would transfer onto stage. It was very difficult to imagine how Janacek could possibly transform this story into an opera. The performance was not at all what I had anticipated based on my prior knowledge of the opera. In class, Professor Bergman mentioned that we might find ourselves waiting for the song to start, and I caught myself doing this just a few minutes into the performance.

On Friday, I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see the New American Wing. I remember going there before and liking it, but when I went to see the redone exhibit, I was amazed at how it turned out. It looked like a courtyard, with a fountain and sculptures, leading to two old-fashioned electric lights, leading down to some steps, leading down to a facade of what appears to be a mansion. Inside the "mansion", there were various rooms like those of the wealthy in the 18th and 19th centuries.

I thought the opera was okay. I was a bit dull, but then again, the story is supposed to be depressing, and the sets really showed that. The dominant color was drab gray, the most depressing color in my opinion. And the music was certainly more modern than what I'm used to in opera, when I see works such as die Zauberflote (The Magic Flute by Mozart) or der Fleidermaus (The Bat by Johann Strauss II) which have more old-fashioned music, that is, 18th and 19th century music.

The House of the Dead opera was the first opera I have ever seen. I have listened to opera music before and have always heard about opera but never experienced it for myself. When I think of opera I think of big people singing extremely loud. I picture those people that can hold a glass and make it break with their voices. All of this is silly and very stereotypical when it comes to opera. The House of the Dead was not what I expected to see. I am glad that it was not what I expected. I think this added to my experience.

 When dancing, you are free to let go of all your stresses and paint a picture with your body and feet. That is the reason I dance and the reason I love it so much. There is nothing better than after a long day of school and/or work than to just go out onto the dance floor and practice with your partner. Through this process of practicing and working out problems in connection between the two bodies, you and your partner become one entity. You form a bond with your partner that cannot be replicated even in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.