Why You Should Take Boys to the Ballet

The last Saturday in June, my oldest son Zach and I got dressed up and headed downtown to Jones Hall. We were headed to see Swan Lake put on by the Houston Ballet. If you are thinking my son is a} into dancing and/or b} classical music you would be incorrect {not for want of trying}. BUT he did go to sleep as a baby listening to the Tchaikovsky soundtrack for Swan Lake, so when I saw the Houston Ballet was performing it I asked if he wanted to go. I assumed I would get a hard pass from my outdoorsy kid, but surprisingly he said sure! 

Cut to us sweating in our finery waiting to get into our seats.

To tell the truth, this was only MY second time at the ballet. I took ballet all through elementary and middle school, but had only been to one show since. It was the first year Alex and I were married and I thought we should go together {oh baby Kinsey…} and he almost slept his way through. I have been on a bit of a ballet break since then.  It was safe to say, I was not sure what to expect either!

Why You Should Take Boys to the Ballet | Houston Moms Blog

We hiked up to the balcony, immediately bought a bottle of water and went to find our seats. As we sat down we looked around at the lovely interior of Jones Hall and noticed one glaring thing. There were NO boys. I mean, OK, there was Zach and the two boys on the other aisle, but otherwise ZERO boys in attendance. 

As someone who likes to push things {I like to joke I am going to infiltrate the all-males group in our local little league} I felt smug and proud that I had brought MY son. Quickly followed by a horrible thought:: What if there was a reason there are no boys in attendance? What if he hated it? What if he tried to talk to me the entire time? How long was this thing anyway?

Why You Should Take Boys to the Ballet | Houston Moms Blog

Ummmmm LONG. Really, really long. BUT he was great. And he did talk to me the entire time, but quietly. And he did not hate it. At all!

Swan Lake has a large male dancing population, like huge. There is a whole scene where at least 20 men fill the stage and dance. When I pointed out that the back row of very tall men were doing double 360 turns in the air he commented “They are so quiet when they land!”.  We marveled at the strength it takes to jump that high and to hold up all the girls.  We talked about how it is different strength than kicking a soccer ball or being a line backer. Different – but not bad.

Why You Should Take Boys to the Ballet | Houston Moms Blog

It was fun to read the program and then see how the dancers acted out the story. Using your brain in that way has to be good. Spoiler – he did not like how they died at the end. He wanted them to fall down and it be very dramatic {they just leapt that black thing in the back, landing off stage} but otherwise, we both enjoyed ourselves.

Guys, I am here to tell you to take your boys to art stuff! They might just surprise you. When you do go here is my advice ::

  • Check the run time. I don’t think it would have changed my mind knowing it was 3 hours…but it would have been great to know.
  • Bring snacks. Again, so basic, but I thought you could not eat inside. Nope, they SELL snacks at Jones Hall, but not many.  And all the girls got there before we could…side-eye to you ladies.
  • Stairs. Take the stairs. Boys need to move their bodies and that was a great start and ending to sitting for 3 hours.
  • Park on the street. There is legal, free street parking all around downtown. Do it and don’t waste your time in the garages!

Living in and around Houston we are SO lucky to have amazing venues, at all price points to expose our kids to the arts. I am on a roll now and need to get my seven year old exposed. HMB has a great rundown of events in September, and there is a lot of performing arts on that list. Then, let’s both check out Visit Houston’s A-Z list of all that is going on in the city and find something for our boys!

PSA :: The one true benefit to having boys?? No line for him at the restroom.

Why You Should Take Boys to the Ballet | Houston Moms Blog

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Kinsey
Kinsey is a native Texan originally from Denton, but left as soon as she could {no offense to Denton; other people should totally live there}. After graduating from the University of Texas with a degree in elementary education, she taught first grade for a hot minute. She quickly learned that her passion was actually telling adults what to do, and thus realized a career in marketing and event planning was a much better match. She married Alex in 2005, who legitimately thinks Houston is the best city in the world, which means she is here forever. She worked until 2013 when she retired (and refuses to say she is unemployed). Together they have two boys, Zachary {December 2008} and James {July 2011} which means she spends every afternoon, evening, Saturday, and many Sundays sitting at a field or court for whatever sport is being played at that particular moment and fending off snack requests. Also that she’s on a first name basis with the workers at Chick-fil-A. Hi Debra! Follow Kinsey on Instagram @makejokesnotmoney.

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