taxi4ballet

How much does becoming a Friend cost these days?

Seems a shame really, that they make it so difficult for the general public to actually buy decent tickets. One could be forgiven for thinking that the current system is elitist.

Maybe discuss it with your dd's dance teacher and ask their advice.

Somewhat earlier than the 20th century...

My ancestors were married at St Paul, Covent Garden and their descendants were baptised there, including my great-great grandfather. I'd love to know what it was like back then.

That's brilliant! 

It reminds me of the time some years ago when we had bought a nearly-new car and try as we might, we couldn't figure out how to switch off the child lock on the rear doors so they could be opened from the inside. Gave a lift to someone with a toddler. You can guess the rest.

It was such a shame. After all, if you have people singing or talking, you can listen to their voice while you watch a montage of scenes on the big screen. You don't need to see them in close-up. But most of the ballet element seemed to be broadcast from hundreds of yards away, and you could barely see the stage, let alone anyone on it.

Pathetic, wasn't it?

If I'm not mistaken and things have changed, I believe a level 4 diploma is one step up from A-levels which are level 3. So with two level 3's and one level 4, you could very well be fine.

On 30/05/2022 at 23:01, FionaE said:

Shame on BGT and on Simon Cowell and Amanda Holden (the no’s) for not appreciating it.  

It's fairly well-known, I think, that Simon Cowell doesn't much care for ballet. 

The BGT producers aren't interested in acts unless they will have the audience on their feet, cheering and screaming with delight, or conversely, groaning in their seats at the sheer awfulness of it. Ballet fits into neither category.

From what I've just seen of BBC3's output (and deducing the sort of person likely to watch it), that channel's demographic would be far more likely to use a digital-only service, and probably do most of the time anyway. Why they can't digitise that one and keep BBC4 is a mystery to me.

Common sense has gone out of the window.

On 26/05/2022 at 19:41, Shade said:

Terrible news- I have learnt so much from this channel - music, art, dance, science. One of the few that does not patronise the audience.

Well this is what comes of having my MP in the Cabinet. Never mind a postage stamp, what she knows about culture and the arts would fit onto a pinhead.

The first ballet I ever saw was Petrushka when I was about 6, and I had nightmares for weeks afterwards.

2 hours ago, LinMM said:

Talking about male dancers “spins” as it were I’m getting rather fed up with this current newish practice of bringing the leg down to the ankle in the middle of a pirouette sequence. 
It doesn’t look very good to me but whether this in fact helps turn it into an “ice skater like spin” rather than more classically perfected turns I’m not sure but it’s easier turning with a lowered leg not harder (in my limited experience) so otherwise not sure why this has become so fashionable in last few years 🤔

 

Perhaps that is a choice made by the choreographer rather than the dancer? Or maybe out of necessity for a long-legged dancer so she doesn't thwack her short-armed partner with her knee on the way round?🤣

1 hour ago, bridiem said:

 

I agree about criticism, which necessarily involves judgement; but I think there's a danger in conflating judgement with being judgemental. The latter word always carries connotations of unfairness and of being over-critical, and of coming from an unreasonable and condemnatory stance. This is I think what the original objection was to comments that had been made (whether or not that was a valid objection). Judgement is fine and necessary; being judgemental isn't.

Thank you, you've made the point I was trying (and failing!) to make yesterday, and done a far better job of it than I did...

19 minutes ago, emmarose said:

 

Someone who has never danced before nor seen a ballet before is entitled to say they were underwhelmed if a ballerina falters, they've paid their money for an experience and that's their experience.

Well yes, but chances are that someone like that is unlikely to be openly critical of a dancer's ability on a forum such as this one. 

33 minutes ago, emmarose said:

 

People can be harsh critics, but at the same time maybe that dancer wasn't ready to take on the role if one of the key moments in the show wasn't up to standard

As I already said, a momentary slip-up by someone in their debut performance does not give Joe Public (however much they paid for their tickets) the right to question that dancer's readiness for the role. They willl have danced that step perfectly thousands of times before. They will be kicking themselves that they fouled it up when it mattered the most.

There really is no need for audience members to criticise so much.

36 minutes ago, emmarose said:

 

There are certain roles where you just know a particular dancer will excel, take for instance Sissons, I knew he would be an amazing Benno. So it stands to reason that if some roles feel as if they were made for a dancer, some roles will not fit well on other dancers and I don't think it unfair to say.

It depends who's saying it. Some people are more qualified to comment than others, and constructive criticism is always welcome.

I've known Joe Sissens since he was 10 - my daughter danced with him at one time. He displayed phenomenal talent even then, and I've been following his progress ever since.

32 minutes ago, annamk said:

Everyone recognises that dancers can have an off day, I was simply replying to your first post which said

 

“perhaps they could refrain from criticising a professional's very occasional mishap”

 

An off day doesn’t mean one can’t or shouldn’t comment on a performance - if you can’t say one performance isn’t so good then what is the point of ever saying a dancer is good. Praise becomes pointless if criticism is invalidated.

That's not really what I was saying. 

Commenting on a performance (or a specific element thereof) is fine. What is perhaps less welcome would be criticising the dancer themselves, whether they deserved their last promotion, whether they shouldn't have been given a role if they are incapable of performing one of the trickiest steps in the entire ballet repertoire, whether they are technically unsuited to a particular style, and so on. All of which I have seen on threads before.

Everyone dancing a more senior role will have had to perform it in front of an audience for the first time. Dancers in a debut role are going to be incredibly nervous. Nerves cause slip-ups. Calling their ability into question shows a fundamental lack of respect for their years of hard work and dedication to the art form.

43 minutes ago, annamk said:

 

What are you saying here ? I'm not capable of doing any of the things the dancers do on stage but I don't see why that means I should refrain from making any criticisms. 

One of the things my daughter said she didn't miss about the profession was constantly being judged all the time and found wanting. 

Dancers are not machines. Sometimes they have an off day. Sometimes they might be a fraction off balance for a second or two. Sometimes they might be in agony. One might say that Premiership footballers at the height of their profession should never miss a penalty, but they do. 

Respectfully pointing out a lapse in a performance is fine. Judgemental criticism of an elite professional... no.

My daughter trained professionally, and after a gap of several years of not dancing, she recently tried to do fouettes again. She told me that she'd forgotten how ridiculously difficult they are!

So maybe unless people are capable of doing 32 fouettes, perfectly, every time they attempt them, then perhaps they could refrain from criticising a professional's very occasional mishap in this department? It mars what has otherwise been a very interesting and informative thread.

On 17/05/2022 at 09:23, Confuddled said:

I plan to wash them, but from experience the ground-in dirt around the toe doesn’t come out, though it does fade. I’ve also ordered a new pair from eBay, which if I’m lucky might get here in time. I find getting dd to wear them damp works to stop them shrinking too much. So we’re sorted, either way.

You can use calamine lotion on them, it disguises the dirty bits and takes the shine off new-looking shoes as well.

6 hours ago, Fonty said:

 

During the first act, the camera angle was very odd, it was as if the camera was in the orchestra pit and looking up at the stage.  Fortunately this seemed to be adjusted for act 2.

 

 

That's pretty much where the camera was sited - in between the pit and the first row of seats, and very low down. We were in the Amphi and could see the camera from where we were sitting, and I think they did raise it up a bit.

The cygnets were spot on and got a great cheer - my daughter's comment was "Well, that was crisp!". 

2 hours ago, EVWS said:

Is anyone else going to watch tonight in the Cinema? I've just looked at my ticket at the screening starts at 6.45 (they usually start at 7.15 in the cinema so they can screen the backstage films etc for a few mins before curtain up). I'm guessing that the performance actually starts at the ROH at 7.30, so is the cinema relay actually live? 45 minutes seems like a lot of time to fill with trailers etc?? 

We will be at the RoH this evening, so if you hear someone weeping at the end, that will be me!

On 12/05/2022 at 13:27, Elz said:

Being prone to mental health issues is perhaps correlated to whatever it is in a person that draws them to a career in the performing arts. 

I'd say that in many cases, the cause and effect are the exact opposite way round.

Another vote for Silky here.