I have seen the famous Christopher Wheeldon. Not long ago, I remember having read about a choreographer who collaborated with Narcisso Rodriguez on a piece for the New York City Ballet. Now I have heard him speak! Tonight, I ventured to City Center to participate in the Symposium on the Ballet Russes. Although I did not actually ask any questions, I listened to a panel of four renowned choreographers and musicologists. The experience was unique to say the least. The panelists were discussing how Ballet Russes set the precedent for collaboration in dance. Specifically, the ballet broke free from the fetters of tradition and used other mediums of art for enhancement such as greater costume, set, lightening and visual art design. Ballet is a very traditional art form. It requires specific stance, technique, feet formation and body type. Classical ballet is not like modern dance or jazz where body formations are looser and open for greater interpretation. It is strict and precise. Therefore, for the Ballet Russes to venture beyond the traditional is quite an interesting concept. What evolved thereafter was even more so. An example piece the panelists spoke about was Les Biches. The Ballet is a dramatization of a French house party and is somewhat provocative. The resident musicologists then played clips from the score and discussed how even the music was unconventional. He spoke about how the composer fused ideas of classical composers in his music, but laid it out in a different and original way. The symposium ended with Wheeldon discussing his company and where his inspiration comes from. In all, I cannot say the event was entertaining. Rather, it was informative. My only regret is that I have no knowledge of dance history. Had I been a dance historian, I could have fully optimized my experience.  In some sense, I wish I had been the women in the room nodding their heads in agreement and understanding. I was slightly cross-eyed.