It's May, and my last ballet of the season, A Midsummer Night's Dream by Jorma Elo, was yesterday. Music by Mendelssohn, of course. The choreography was first performed in Vienna in 2010.

It is always mentioned everywhere that Elo received the "Benois de la danse award, known as the Oscar of the dance world" for this work. Ignorant as I am of everything relating to dance, I don't know how much it means, but the ballet was enjoyable and would be well worth seeing another time.

It's not Elo's fault that the plot is somewhat confusing, but that of Shakespeare. I was still able to follow it well enough. All dancers were good, and especially Frans Valkama as Puck, and the will-o'-the-wisps, small ballet school pupils in their lit up dresses, were delightful. The sets were also pleasing. And to judge by the applause, the audience was pleased.

The day had been cloudy, and apparently it had rained while we were sunk in our ballet dreams. Going home there was a beautiful sunset of grey clouds striped with glowing orangey pink.


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Mother has been in hospital since Monday last week. As far as I can see there is nothing particularly wrong with her, but apparently on Monday she was ill enough for our neighbour to call an ambulance, and since then she has been in Jalkaranta Hospital for the elderly for observation.