Who missed the ballet?

"We've traveled as far as Russia, but never have we been received so warmly and taken care of so well till now. Dumaguete has become our favorite!" enthused prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde of Ballet Manila, after a standing ovation from an appreciative audience at the Luce Auditorium last Saturday. It was a wonderful cultural treat for Dumaguete. More international caliber artists should perform in this intellectually sophisticated community. And everything would have been perfect for the Ballet Manila show, except…

Some missed the whole point of culture, gentility and fine manners. Instead, there was a sideshow of people being refused entry because they were "improperly dressed". Meaning, they wore jeans, or, in the case of Silliman students from the School of Basic Education, khaki pants.

And so unfortunately, the talk about town was not on how good the ballet was, but who got "bumped off" the show.

Many patrons, local and foreign, the young and elderly alike, were disappointed, oftentimes embarrassed, for being refused admission from the "biggest cultural event of the year" (actually, last year -- if you consider the organizer's failure to deliver on its promise the first time around).

A retired minister, a high school student, a lawyer's teens, a journalist's son, a businesswoman's family, a businessman from Bacolod, and many more interested patrons were victimized by the so-called Luce dress code. Even a foreign visitor who went to the Luce in very decent attire -- part of his outfit was a pair of "dress" jeans -- was also turned away. Also, a prominent lawyer went with his wife Friday night. He was in jeans, so he was sent home. His wife, however, was allowed entry. Preferring to watch the show together, he arranged to have their tickets changed for the Saturday gala show. The following night, they thought everything was going to be fine because the lawyer went in slacks, but guess what? This time, his wife was not allowed to get in because like jeans, corduroy was a no-no! Ironically, that was exactly the same outfit she wore the night before, and was allowed in!

And what about a kid who was not allowed in because he was dressed in an un-gala pair of khakis? Anyone would have gotten the point, but some patrons were confused: Guess who were spotted seated in VIP seats who were also dressed in "very un-gala" khakis?

What's not funny about this is how this double-standard played out the whole weekend.

Although this is really nothing new at the Luce. There was a time when the usherettes would "feel" with their fingers the clothing of the patron to determine if it was acceptable for gala or not! Or that embarrassing incident when a man was refused entry because he was not in leather shoes -- but only in (nice leather) sandals because he just had an operation on an ingrown toe nail! Or what about usherettes scrambling to borrow leather shoes from patrons who are already seated inside the Luce to lend to patrons outside the Luce whom they had refused entry because they were not in leather shoes. The preoccupation with dress codes diverted the focus of the event -- which was simply to enjoy a good show. What's even more ironic is that other cultural venues like the world-famous Sydney Opera House, or the Broadway theaters in New York, or other concert halls in Europe, or even our Cultural Center of the Philippines in Roxas Blvd. would have found the attire of the "refused" patrons perfectly acceptable. So what was the big deal all about?* (To be continued)

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