Ballet It Be

According to Uthoff, the audience stood up after the final curtain and sang the Chilean national anthem.

North American audiences, however, are more resistant to seeing protest and "meaning" sneaking out of the realm of modern dance and into classical ballet.

"They don't want to go to the theater unexpecting," Uthoff says. "They want to know exactly what it's going to be. They don't want to be made fools of. They don't want to experience the thought process of discovering something on their own."

And so he had no idea as to how his audiences would react to "Ask Not . . .". He hoped they would find it "far more entertaining than watching swans on parade onstage." On opening night, they reacted with a standing ovation.

Ballet Arizona's production of "Ask Not . . ." continues through Sunday,
March 16, in Center Stage at Herberger Theater Center, 222 East Monroe. For more details, see Calendar.