Any news of overseas ballet companies visiting the UK in 2017/18

[aileen]

A few years ago there was a flurry of companies visiting the UK but more recently (with the exception of regular visits by the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky) visits seem to have rather dried up. I think that the last overseas ballet company that I saw was RNZB. Has anyone heard of any companies coming to the UK next year? 

[Bruce Wall]

Wasn't the Australian Ballet the last major company to appear in London in July of 2016 (ouside of the Hochhauser/Russian seasons as you noted of course)?  This year the Coliseum wasn't available to major foreign dance companies (should any still wish to rent the extremely expensive venue which seemingly does no marketing on behalf of visiting companies) because of Bat Out of Hell.  They have already announced a production of Kiss Me Kate for summer 2018 so I think it highly unlikely that a ballet company would be visiting at that address during this period.  Without the foreign companies dropping into London (in any significant way) of course it does allow for greater focus on the fine national ones.  I just think all those year end BEST lists should be now best listed as 'Best in the UK' .... which is oh, so meaningful in and of itself.  

 

Of course, Aileen ... if the mountain won't come to Mohammed ...    There's more than one way to get a meaningful ballet fix ... and to enrich your balletic viewing with an overall broader view ...  (Plus the fact that none of us lives more than once, huh  ... and you've got to do something with that spare cash given that interest rates are still at the lowest ebb they have been at for a VERY long time!   (And at a certain age you have to ask yourself:  Saving for what exactly?)  Don't want the government skimming it off the top in face of another crisis, huh.  That has, of course, happened elsewhere; Cypress, etc.) 

 

Edited July 26, 2017 by Bruce Wall