Canadian Fusilier at BAM

Got taken to BAM tonight to see Juliette Binoche--aka Hanna from TEP--dance in a contemporary piece titled "In-I," a melodramatic portrayal of the beauty and tragedy of modern love. This was La Binoche's first attempt at the art form, a fact that was immediately apparent to both the scathing critics at the NYT and your humble blogger.

In other words, it was not good. Not at all. On the one hand, it seems a bit arrogant of JB to suppose that just because she is good at some things (acting, being pretty) she would be good at another thing (dancing). On the other hand, should we not admire her courage for stepping outside her comfort zone and risking ridicule?

Certainly the fans gathered there (including the two former au pairs of the aunt and uncle I'm staying with, which is why I was there) wanted her to succeed, but the fact that she obviously didn't was no obstacle to their enjoyment. For them, failure was as good as success, and maybe even better because it proved just how brave the heroine truly was.

But dilettantism is surely no excuse for incompetence? Consider how well someone else pulled off the Canadian Fusilier look that mademoiselle Binoche became famous for:

No amateurism there.

These are the deep thoughts that emerge from a post-performance pitcher of margaritas at Pacifico, the Mexican restaurant tacked on to the back of the infamous Trout bar.