But the Pentagon, energized by successes in Afghanistan, is moving ever closer to draining the human drama from the battlefield and replacing it with a ballet of machines.
The Balanchine evening opened with Serenade, the choreographer's poignant interpretation of classical ballet for the machine age.
Several performances investigated the relationship between humans and machines: Ballet San Jose's Bodies of Technology at the California Theatre and Spanish choreographer Blanca Li's Robot at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Your female friends will appreciate the ballet-slipper vending machine after a night in heels.
The return of "Ballet Mécanique," a diabolical machine dance from 2001, is a highlight of the repertory pieces spread across two programs.
Who wants to see a machine dancing ballet?" With people living longer and populations aging, we will always need healthcare and agriculture to feed that world, said Tim Menkveld.
Described in one scene as being like a ballet between man and machine, the relationship turned for some into a kind of love affair.
Or take a tour of the sprawling Untert?eim plant, where some 4,600 precision-machined engines are assembled every day -- in a churning machine-age ballet of crankshafts, pistons and silvery crankcases destined for the automaker's coveted prows.
It offers a suite with lots of exercise equipment, including a Stairmaster, treadmill, stationary bicycle, free weights, Nautilus machines and ballet bar.
The robots follow a pre-set plan but can sense each other in space and assess which pieces have already been placed, resulting in a ballet of tiny, flying machines that are about as smart as a barn sparrow.
