Time for a possible paradigm shift!

A few weekends ago, the 9th and 10th grade classes from our school went to the *takes a deep breath* National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet of Mongolia (Улсын дуурь бүжгийн эрдмийн театр) to see a production of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake (Хунт нуур). Eric knew that I would be more interested in going than him so I went in his place, and I’m so glad I did! It was my first visit to the opera house during our almost four years here in Mongolia, and I wish that I’d gone sooner.

Odette from the 2016 production.

Odile from the 2016 production.

It’s a beautiful space, a nice sized performance hall, and the musicians and dancers who brought about the production were excellent. I was moved to tears and laughter by the ballet and was on the edge of my seat during the climactic battle between the evil sorcerer and the prince. I have to say my favorite character in the ballet was the court jester. He was a phenomenal dancer and acted his part exceedingly well. This isn’t to say that Odette/Odile, the prince, and the sorcerer were not amazing dancers–they were!–but I was most entertained by the jester.

I didn’t take any photos of the performance itself because I don’t like making theater ushers angry, but I did take some photos of the interior and exterior of the theater. Enjoy!

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If you find yourself in UB, I highly recommend taking in a performance at this theater, which is located on the east side of Sukhbaatar Square. They have an extensive repertoire of both Mongolian and Western operas and ballets so you’re bound to find something you’ll like. Tickets are usually 20,000 MNT (a little less than $20 US).

PS. The images of Odette and Odile above are from this website.