Fan Letters To Dancers

[TheaG]

I was wondering if anyone had any experience of sending letters to dancers as opposed to handing them directly at stage door? And have you received a response or autograph from them? I’d love to send some of my favourites a letter of appreciation. 😀

[Jan McNulty]

Only sending them to the Company’s address or to the theatre to which they would be touring.  In my experience cards and letters do get through to the dancers OK.

[capybara]

There is a set of pigeonholes at the Royal Opera House Stage Door and letters for dancers are put in there. I know this because some dancers enquire on their way out as to whether there is anything for them and one or two regularly leave with envelopes.

 

I don't know what the arrangements are elsewhere but I think that the approach suggested by Janet usually works.

[Odyssey]

Many years ago, I sent a letter to Australian Ballet asking about Ann Jenner and the roles she had danced since joining the company. To my surprise, a few months later, I received a warm and lengthy letter from Ann via airmail in which she outlined all what she had been doing since emigrating to Australia and she appeared to be genuinely touched that someone had wanted to know how she was getting on. Obviously, this was at a time that predates the Internet and Social Media so news about dancers was largely limited to what you read in the press, but I think it illustrates that dancers take real pleasure in receiving messages of support and interest in their achievements.

[fashionista]

When I was a little girl, I used to draw sketches of the RB dancers and send them with a letter to them c/o the ROH.  I received some lovely replies.  I think that sadly now social media may have taken over as it is so easy to become Friends on FB or follow on Instagram or Twitter.  However, I think it is still nice to send a written letter - nothing like the personal touch x

[Fiz]

Just in case anyone else is interested, Claire Calvert of the Royal Ballet has posted a an Instagram post of her as a little J.A with crossed plaits and Royal Ballet sweatshirt on. She looks adorable.

[Lisa O`Brien]

A girl I was at my local dancing school with, and who lived on our street, during the BBC's The Magic of Dance series by Margot Fonteyn, wrote to her at the BBC in London. She said she took Ballet lessons and enjoyed the programme. She received in the post a  Magic of Dance book, signed by Fonteyn. I was sooo jealous. The girl wasn't even that serious about Ballet !!!

[swanprincess]

I once wrote to Lauretta Summerscales and recieved a beautiful reply!

[Scheherezade]

How lovely, Swanprincess. The mark of a truly generous nature.

[JohnS]

 

On 03/08/2018 at 08:23, fashionista said:

I think that sadly now social media may have taken over as it is so easy to become Friends on FB or follow on Instagram or Twitter.  However, I think it is still nice to send a written letter - nothing like the personal touch

 

Whilst social media does provide such ready access as fashionista says, I've been very touched by the kindnesses shown by a number of Royal Ballet dancers in acknowledging messages, small gifts etc in traditional ways.

 

And it is so good to receive a written letter.  My wife died shortly before the June 2017 election and I received a number of emails reminding her to use her postal vote.  I contacted our MP's office to explain the position and received a beautiful, handwritten letter from our MP when she was back in the House of Commons.  And recently, quite out of the blue, I received a 'thank you' card from a recipient of one of my wife's kidneys, now fully fit, back riding her horse and eventing, and able once again to enjoy being the wife and mother for her family - again beautifully written and wonderful to hear how transformational the kidney transplant has been.

[bangorballetboy]

12 hours ago, JohnS said:

And recently, quite out of the blue, I received a 'thank you' card from a recipient of one of my wife's kidneys, now fully fit, back riding her horse and eventing, and able once again to enjoy being the wife and mother for her family - again beautifully written and wonderful to hear how transformational the kidney transplant has been.

 

Such wonderful and heart-warming news; thanks for sharing this John.

[AlisonS35]

What an incredible story above. Giving someone their life back, you must be very proud of your wife and the decision she made. 

 

Perhaps a little off track but in terms of autographs... My 8 year old daughter is lucky enough to have a signed pair of pointe shoes from some of the dancers as my friend is a past soloist of RB. I would think that would be a great way of using the old pointe shoes and raise some money for the pointe shoe appeal? Anyone know why they don’t already do that? 

Edited August 7, 2018 by AlisonS35

[Jan McNulty]

I don't know if they still do but Northern Ballet used to have a basket of signed pointe shoes for sale at the reception desk.  It could be a good way of fund raising without too much effort.

 

My friends very kindly organised to get me a pair of shoes signed by Martha Leebolt when I had a significant birthday a couple of years ago. 

[Rob S]

1 hour ago, AlisonS35 said:

What an incredible story above. Giving someone their life back, you must be very proud of your wife and the decision she made. 

 

Perhaps a little off track but in terms of autographs... My 8 year old daughter is lucky enough to have a signed pair of pointe shoes from some of the dancers as my friend is a past soloist of RB. I would think that would be a great way of using the old pointe shoes and raise some money for the pointe shoe appeal? Anyone know why they don’t already do that? 

 

I raised that question with the listed contact on the pointe shoe appeal page after I recently won a pair of Yuhui's shoes in a silent (but deadly!) auction run by a dance school in Australia (the shoes were from the RB's Brisbane shows last summer)...over a month later I haven't had a reply, maybe she's too busy counting all those £39 donations that people are falling over themselves to give. Obviously they're not going to find homes for 6000 pairs every year but I thought a decent selection may bring in some money rather than we just see photos of shoes in a bin from various dancers on Instagram

[Balletfanp]

Olivia Cowley did something like that a year or so ago where she got her fellow dancers to donate and sign their used pointe shoes and in return for a donation to the Alzheimer’s Society you were sent a pair. It was luck of the draw as to whose you got - I think that’s how it worked, anyway. I thought it was a great idea.

[toursenlair]

2 hours ago, Rob S said:

 

I raised that question with the listed contact on the pointe shoe appeal page after I recently won a pair of Yuhui's shoes in a silent (but deadly!) auction run by a dance school in Australia (the shoes were from the RB's Brisbane shows last summer)...over a month later I haven't had a reply, maybe she's too busy counting all those £39 donations that people are falling over themselves to give. Obviously they're not going to find homes for 6000 pairs every year but I thought a decent selection may bring in some money rather than we just see photos of shoes in a bin from various dancers on Instagram

 

The National Ballet of Canada sells signed used pointe shoes at their shop at the theatre. $35 for corps de ballet dancers, $45 for soloists, $60 for principal dancers. They do quite  a  brisk trade; I'm not sure how much money they make off them but it's pure profit.

They also ship a lot of gently used pointe shoes to the school and company in Cuba, where there just isn't enough money to buy all the pointe shoes they need.

[Rob S]

7 hours ago, toursenlair said:

 

The National Ballet of Canada sells signed used pointe shoes at their shop at the theatre. $35 for corps de ballet dancers, $45 for soloists, $60 for principal dancers. They do quite  a  brisk trade; I'm not sure how much money they make off them but it's pure profit.

 

 

Exactly! I didn’t think I’d had an original idea! 😂

[JohnS]

I very much appreciate the comments people have generously made about my wife's organ donation.  I'd wondered whether to include the news from the recipient and her handwritten note but there was a lot of coverage about organ donation on this Sunday's Broadcasting House and the encouragement given to donors' families to say something of their experiences so I thought I would.

 

10 hours ago, Balletfanp said:

Olivia Cowley did something like that a year or so ago where she got her fellow dancers to donate and sign their used pointe shoes and in return for a donation to the Alzheimer’s Society you were sent a pair. It was luck of the draw as to whose you got - I think that’s how it worked, anyway. I thought it was a great idea.

 

Balletfanp is quite correct and I think Olivia Cowley has done this more than once.  We were delighted to get Anna Rose O'Sullivan's signed pointe shoes a couple of years ago.

 

And back again to the kindness of dancers, I did receive a completely unexpected package from one dancer with used pointe shoes and handwritten note.

 

So despite all the froth and immediacy of social media, there are times when people do turn to more traditional forms of communication and I'm sure this will long continue.

[aliceinwoolfland]

I once wrote to Francesca Hayward and drew a picture. Didn't get a response but she was probably very busy! I'm sure she read it and hopefully appreciated it

[Jan McNulty]

When I send cards I only ever sign them with my first name and never put an address.

 

Quite a few dancers have been lovely enough to find out who I am and thank me, but that is not why I send cards.  I send them to say thank you because I have particularly enjoyed their performances.

[Xandra Newman]

I have sent flowers to Yasmine Naghdi on numerous occasions (including a card with my address) and I always received a handwritten Thank You letter back from her. 

Edited August 8, 2018 by Xandra Newman
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