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Do you go to the Stage Door?


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7 minutes ago, Nicola H said:


however these boundaries are theirs to make ... 
 

 

I do so agree and I have to confess that there are times when I feel uneasy about fans' behaviour around dancers. I guess that we all have different perceptions of what is, or is not, appropriate.

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Alison my memory may not be too accurate it certainly feels like a year ago last summer but perhaps it was not as long ago as that. Weren't there quite a few injuries going on last autumn in the RB? It may have been then I'm trying to remember whether i had a coat on or not!! 

I was waiting for a 19 or 38 bus and then both came along together so I got on the 19 (as that gets me closer to where I stay) and he got on a no.38 The bus stop was near the British Museum stop. I remember I'd just been to Bloch for some reason ....and he had been in there too!! But for some reason didn't notice his boot then So when he was behind me at the bus stop about half an hour later I was surprised to see he had one on.

I could have asked him about his injury but couldn't think of a natural or easy way to start the conversation without him thinking I was a nosy old lady!! 

 

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On 06/11/2017 at 17:02, capybara said:

I do so agree and I have to confess that there are times when I feel uneasy about fans' behaviour around dancers. I guess that we all have different perceptions of what is, or is not, appropriate.

 

There's a blurred line between supportive and creepy. I guess the new stage door for many is social media, and during the #metoo campaign one of the RB dancers published a message she'd had from some stranger saying he was well off and wanted to meet ballerinas, so where did they hang out..  I left a couple of Facebook ballet fan groups when I thought some of the pictures and comments were heading in the wrong direction. Stage door, flowers, social media comments - all minefields, and particularly for a man, less is definitely more..

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I've always been a bit reticent about stage doors but I did once see a Irek Mukhamedov on a very crowded Piccadilly Line tube during rush hour. For once I had a seat but willingly jumped up to very hesitatingly approach him. He could not have been more charming or friendly and we had the most interesting conversation about some of his roles. Needless to say it remains my best commute ever by a country mile!

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On 06/11/2017 at 16:53, Nicola H said:


however these boundaries are theirs to make ... 

Boundaries are interesting, i've always been a bit underwhelmed  by  celebrities, but  then again  when a family friend  is a World Champion  in an activity , and other acquaintances are national Champions  it;s a bit of a recalibration ... 

different  things have  different norms ...   talk to people who do certain activities   and  something  equivalent to TBR  ( or the calibre of   teachers  on Central;s  evening  classes rosta)  would never happen   or it'[d be  a very special occasion ... 


My goodness. A quote from 2014.
 

I agree that boundaries are for the dancers to make but it is not always obvious what those boundaries are.  I rarely go to the stage door but I did a few weeks ago when the English National Ballet performed in Manchester.   I made an appointment to see a dancer whom I have long admired but never actually met through social media.  That artist was as gracious and charming in everyday life as she is impressive on stage.

 

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I don't go the stagedoor often but most of my experiences have been positive. There is one ballerina I admire enormously who was consistently grumpy and cold at the stage door. My most treasured memory is having Robert Fairchild and Sterling Hyltin sign the program to Fairchild's farewell performance in "Duo Concertant."

 

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I'd say in general stage dooring is fine as long as you respect that the dancer might be tired, fighting an injury, had an awful day in the studio, etc. and might not be a ball of fun at the stage door. Just show appreciation for their work. Most dancers will be gracious. The few who haven't been -- well I still admire their work, I'll just admire it from afar. 

 

My biggest missed opportunity was once I saw Mikhail Baryshnikov at the intermission of a Mariinsky performance. He was all alone. I was told by my friends: "Do NOT approach him! He's a private man and doesn't like it." So fine. I just watched from afar. But then I saw he was being mobbed from teens who were screaming "Alex from Sex in the City!" And he was laughing and having a great time taking selfies with them. But then the intermission bells chimed and he went in. 

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If in Stratford Upon Avon I'm usually waiting for techie son by the stage door.  The actors coming out seem to genuinely enjoy the interaction with their fans, particularly the younger ones.   Although this tends to be a quick signature of the programme, I've rarely if ever seen them asked for a selfie.  

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On ‎05‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 21:01, LinMM said:

I'm sure he appreciated the flowers though.

last summer (a year ago)  I was standing at a bus stop and realised Ed Watson was standing behind me. He had a boot thingy on his leg and I was toying with the idea of asking him what had happened but as this wasn't strictly in a ballet environment I thought he might think it a bit funny a complete stranger asking him this ( not realising that I'd recognised him) so I chickened out.

i was told later by someone who knows him that he would have been absolutely fine about it! 

 

A couple of years ago (must have been autumn 2014) I was walking round the corner from Bow Street into Floral Street on my way to meet friends in a bar.  Wasn't looking where I was going and bumped straight into a woman coming the other way on crutches.  Apologised profusely, went on my way, then five seconds later did a double-take as I twigged that it was Lauren Cuthbertson (just after her Manon injury).  Apologised again on Twitter later... :(

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On ‎05‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 12:25, John Mallinson said:

Waiting for dancers at the stage door is one thing, following them to bars in their off time is another.

 

 

I agree with you entirely, John.

 

I would however add that in nearly 20 years of frequenting pubs and bars after performances at the Royal Opera House, I think I've encountered a group of RB dancers on a night out precisely once (and, in case you were wondering, I left them to their own devices).  When you consider that they have a punishing regime which involves being up and at the ROH in time for class six days a week, that is hardly surprising.

 

Whereas I bump into opera singers *every* time I am in the pub after an opera ;)

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29 minutes ago, RuthE said:

 

I agree with you entirely, John.

 

I would however add that in nearly 20 years of frequenting pubs and bars after performances at the Royal Opera House, I think I've encountered a group of RB dancers on a night out precisely once (and, in case you were wondering, I left them to their own devices).  When you consider that they have a punishing regime which involves being up and at the ROH in time for class six days a week, that is hardly surprising.

 

Whereas I bump into opera singers *every* time I am in the pub after an opera ;)

 

Times have certainly changed as The Nags Head used to be full of dancers in the 1970's, early 80's.  The Russians love pubs though and frequent a number in a half mile radius of ROH/Coliseum.

 

Punters can make a nuisance of themselves as I remember a group of women in a provincial hotel where the Bolshoi were staying collaring a dancer on his way out late at night.  he was very polite and patient but we had turned up to give him a lift to a club on the other side of town and we had a long drive back to London ahead of us after dropping him off, we were held up for almost a quarter of an hour whilst they plied him with inane questions.  The ladies concerned were old enough to know better too

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1 hour ago, MAB said:

 

Times have certainly changed as The Nags Head used to be full of dancers in the 1970's, early 80's.

 

It's possible, of course, that I just have a nose for a "singers' pub" (unsurprising as I am a singer myself?) whereas the dancers go somewhere I don't!  (I also have several good friends in the ROH Chorus, but don't really know any dancers personally, so it stands to reason I drink where my friends do.) 

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In the 90's when I was working at the Liverpool Philharmonic I was thrilled to discover that Lynn Seymour was appearing there, so after the event, and 'armed' with a couple of her books, I approached her and basically just gushed. I was such a huge fan. I was shocked at just how tiny she was - she didn't appear small when she had danced. She signed her old books and was sweet and patience with me this star struck scouser. Happy memories.....

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  • 2 weeks later...

I love going to the stage door!

 

I blame my mum who when I was not quite four took me round to Floral Street and pointed out the homeward-bound ballerinas after my first ballet - Ashton's Cinderella. She told me it was polite to say "thank you" if I'd enjoyed something they'd done. So apparently I thanked Sibley, Dowell, Parkinson, Ashton, Helpmann, Ann Jenner, Deanne Bergsma, Wayne Eagling, David Drew, and Derek Rencher - Mum still has the signed programme, which she refuses to give over to me as she paid for it. Apparently I get it with the amethysts and the fur-lined parka after she's gone.

 

I do possess the Nureyev/Park/Kelly/Collier/Rencher Manon programme from July 1974, back in the days when they still bound the cast list into the programme (stapled binding, so...), unsigned as I was too scared to ask for myself. Twenty years later I got Rencher to sign a Don Q programme after he'd played the Don for Benjamin and Mukhamedov.

 

In the interval I was hanging around stage doors in Australia, a practice I continue to this day, including in London/Cheltenham/Berlin/Stuttgart/Paris this year, my European return after 23 years...I have great difficulty restraining my gushing tendencies but usually (I think!) manage to produce something vaguely resembling intelligence.

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  • 4 weeks later...

We very rarely are able to go to the stage door as we travel a fair distance and don't get home until 1-1.30 am. However, we did have the opportunity after last Saturday's Sylvia  and saw lots of cast and non-cast dancers emerging. We might have been waiting for Osipova/Muntagirov, but the real treat was obviously the start of a 'boys day(night) out'. Just had to share this.....

 

DRMack6X4AEDPTy.jpg 

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@Mummykool and @Timmie, Benn Gartside called it #boysxmascurrynight 😂 (screenshot from my Instagram but had to resize the pic to make it fit into the posting requirements, sorry the text is a bit blurry!)

IMG_20171219_005136.jpg

Who can give them all the correct name? I could only recognise five.

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  • 1 month later...

I stayed after The Nutcracker and spoke to Nicol Edmonds, Matthew Ball, and Yasmine Naghdi (all so lovely, and Yasmine let me have a picture with her)! I was just about to leave when I saw a slightly flustered looking Francesca Hayward leaving (she was performing that night). Despite being in a hurry she very kindly autographed my programme! Also stood next to (but didn’t get to speak to) Anna Rose O’Sullivan and Gary Avis. I felt a bit silly but it was great fun! 

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I must say, although I have never been to the stage door after ballet (and as I may already have said earlier in this thread, I only very occasionally do so after opera when I am waiting for somebody specific who knows I'm coming), one of my favourite "small pleasures" after a matinee of Nutcracker or Sleeping Beauty or whatever is to go and get a window seat in Busaba Eathai restaurant directly opposite the stage door, and watch the dancers come out and greet the waiting kids :)

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On 1/26/2014 at 13:40, Terpsichore said:

But I think you are very wise not to press for her autograph now.   You saw Sibley when she was in her prime and there is still plenty of footage of her from that time. You don't need a scrap of paper.

 

I am so delighted to see Sibley again after all those years. Though Fonteyn is the dancer I most admired, Sibley is the dancer I most liked.

 

Agreed!

 

Sorry to veer off the topic a bit. Speaking of footage, do you know if there is any chance I can find a recording of the 1969 BBC broadcast of Sibley and Dowell's Sleeping Beauty anywhere? I've been desperate to find one...

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Went to the stage door tonight. Takada and Ella came out together looking radiant, and spent lots of time talking to the waiting people and signing programmes etc. I got a photo with Takada (typically I looked dreadful!) They were both so sweet and modest. Alexander Campbell was also lovely - I was lucky to spot him as he wasn’t performing! Stix-Brunell and Calvert were also very gracious. 

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  • 10 months later...

Sorry if this ground has already been covered, but I’m taking my 9yo half-Spanish niece to Saturday’s Nutcracker matinee and  am thinking she might like to go to the stage door after and perhaps beg an autograph off of Marianela Nuñez in particular. Does anyone know how busy it’s likely to be for a Nutcracker matinee with a starry cast, or how long the wait for them to appear normally is? As you can probably tell I don’t do this often!

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1 minute ago, Lizbie1 said:

Sorry if this ground has already been covered, but I’m taking my 9yo half-Spanish niece to Saturday’s Nutcracker matinee and  am thinking she might like to go to the stage door after and perhaps beg an autograph off of Marianela Nuñez in particular. Does anyone know how busy it’s likely to be for a Nutcracker matinee with a starry cast, or how long the wait for them to appear normally is? As you can probably tell I don’t do this often!

 

That's a lovely idea. The Stage Door can get very crowded after a matinee and, unfortunately, because of the wigs worn by the SPF and The Prince (and the way they have to be fitted), they both take longer than usual to come out. However, Marianela Nunez sometimes comes to the Stage Door to sign autographs with her make-up and hair still on - so fingers crossed that she might do that on Saturday.

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Very difficult to say how long any dancers will be really but at least after a matinee probably not so bad as not such a big rush to get home etc. It will be a lovely experience for a young ballet fan.

Talking of feeling silly as I do think that on the whole the stage door is more for younger members of the audience ....well let's say 40 and under .....but I did go recently too. Perhaps it's okay again as the granny figure!!

Anyway  I had  gone with a small group of others including Sander Blommaert  to await and say hallo to Camille Bracher after the recent triple bill as she has now left the Royal and will be taking over some of Sander Blommaert's classes. 

Anyway while we were waiting ( for ages) I said to the others well maybe Joseph Sissons will come out too ...who had also been dancing that night ....I might pluck up courage and speak to him just say how much I enjoy his dancing. 

Well after what seemed to be about an hour Camille finally emerged and the others were all going for drinks but being the Granny and it being nearly 11pm by then I said I'd be off home.

After they had gone I thought I'd wait just another 5 mins in case Joseph came out ....but alas he didn't ....so made my way along Floral St anxious to get home when a group of four people were coming towards me and just as they were about to pass saw Joseph was among them ! It is quite ridiculous but I said "Joseph Sissons" ( I'm sure it came out a bit like a police officer about to say" I'm arresting you under the ........what .....Prevention of too much good dancing Act" .

Anyway he responded with a "yes" without looking too shocked or anything ......(though no doubt thinking ...oh no not another adoring old granny to deal with just want to get home now) and I did tell him how much I enjoyed his dancing....in everything....and even told him the story of seeing him at YBSS with my young Australian ballet student there  (and mum) ....and she had been too shy to speak to him....(his talent had been very very obvious even back in 2013....and  he was very much admired by the other young dancers) 

Well in the end he signed my programme .....even had to lend me the pen ....and meanwhile his entourage all very patiently waiting poor things!!  

He was so nice and appreciative .......am even more of a fan now ....though won't be going back to the stage door any time soon .....only want to make a ballet fool of myself once a year I think!! 

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1 hour ago, LinMM said:

Talking of feeling silly as I do think that on the whole the stage door is more for younger members of the audience ....well let's say 40 and under .....but I did go recently too. Perhaps it's okay again as the granny figure!!

 

My absolute favourite people-watching pastime in Covent Garden is getting a window-seat in Busaba Eathai opposite the stage door, half an hour or so after a matinee of a "family" ballet has let out, and watching the dancers talk to all the kids :)

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