SAVE THE BALLET?

Well, I listened to the City Council meeting on TV tonight.  I can always count on a good comedy when at or listening to a Council meeting.  The topic tonight was Save the Ballet.  One gentleman got up to speak during the public session and either had a fifth of Jim Beam before he spoke or there really is someone that can imitate FDR with a cigarette holder in his mouth.  Basically he went on to say that SPAC was built for the “fine arts” and anyone who dares to go to a rock concert is a simpleton.  He wants the City to financially support the ballet and orchestra and the term they are here should be extended.  Heck, the City can’t even afford to put a Memorial Day Parade or a Fourth of July celebration on and he wants us to support the fine arts?  This guy must be related to Remiga Foy as the Mayor let him drone on for at least 5 minutes.  I was flipping back and forth to a movie and I left him babbling and when I came back, someone had either shot him or he had the microphone pried from his hands.

Then there was Phil (the Thrill) Diamond who spoke about the fact that SPAC was built for ballet and the orchestra and that is why Saratoga has grown because it has drawn the educated to our ‘town’.  HEY PHIL, WE ARE A CITY.   Excuse me, back to Phil; he must be part of Save the Ballet group.  This group now has a script they use and he quoted from this script.  “The people who come to watch the Ballet and Orchestra stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants and spend their money shopping downtown, while those who attend Phish concerts, but I have nothing against Phish, fall out of trees naked and use our resources like City Police, they take up space in our emergency room, they don’t stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants or come downtown to shop”.  You know this came from a Council meeting as one cannot make this stuff up.

After Phil, some lady spoke about how she was from Saratoga and her family goes back generations and she is proud that her parents were in the generation that went around collecting pennies and donated money to build the outdoor venue., at this point the Mayor asked her to state her address.  She thinks that every Saratogian should donate money to keep the Ballet here.  Then came Dee, and well, who cares.

The message of all the speakers (as I said, I have a feeling they all belong to the Save group) had in common was that the fine art’s were for the educated in Saratoga and those who attend the other functions at SPAC were the drop outs.

First off, if the ballet and orchestra are such money losers why do we have to have the NYC Ballet and the Philadelphia Orchestra?  I think a few years ago we had another Ballet company perform and they were a big hit, and a lot less expensive.  The same could be said for the Orchestra, there are probably a few Orchestras that are as good for a lot less money.  Those that want to attend the Gala for the ballet could still dress up and spend the big bucks, or better yet dress down, eat hot dogs and give what they would have spent on themselves to SPAC as a donation.