Richard C

Yes Sabine - that was the error! Taxi ride needed! We need to return sometime to go to the SO!

Just wanted to report back. My wife and I had a wonderful time on this trip. Thank you to everyone who gave help and tips but especially to https://www.balletcoforum.com/profile/28587-sabine0308/ who gave us great advance guidance, especially for Dresden. We did many of the things Sabine suggested - we are really appreciative of the time and trouble she went to. Please bear in mind my comments are based on a lay person’s viewpoint. I do not know a jette from a plié! The productions were mainly magnificent, especially La bayadere in Munich where we were lucky to catch Lauretta Summerscales, Julian McKay and Shale Wagman ( Bronze Idol). The Forsythe programme in Berlin was excellent after a false start (we went to the wrong opera house to start with but made it in plenty of time), and our favourite was Sleeping Beauty in Dresden. The Opera House there is a gem, the production excellent. In Leipzig the Young Prince left us a bit bewildered but it was a good occasion, a young appreciative audience and a lovely city. My wife has had a tough time and the restorative power of watching a number of ballets over a week in a foreign country has been phenomenal and a joy to see. We hope to get back and take in Stuttgart and Hamburg another time.

I was eager to show this to my wife. Oh how she laughed! of which there has not been a lot lately so that was good. Her only comment was that I now need to keep up this benchmark. Hmmm. Ive had a look at Stuttgart and sadly it’s fairly impossible. Perhaps another time. sabine i will take you up on your kind offer. As soon as I’ve worked out how to PM

Thank you for all the really helpful replies. I’m now looking at cramming either (or both) Stuttgart and Hamburg in and I’ve booked 2 opera house tours. Fiona you are absolutely right- the performance we have tickets for in Berlin is the 23rd not the 24th! The cast lists remain shrouded in mystery which is a contrast to ROH where my wife chooses dates based on her favourite dancers ( Nunez, Osipova and Lamb are the names I hear most frequently as she huddled over the laptop on booking days).

Thank you Silke H! I have booked the Berlin and Dresden tours now - thank you so much for you help. I will contact Oper Leipzig

My wife is a big ballet fan. She recently suffered a close family bereavement and as something for her to look forward to I have booked a trip for us both to Germany to take in a number of performances. This is something she has for some years wanted to do and if the last few sad months have taught me anything it is stop thinking about doing things and booking them instead. Performances booked are Bayeriches Staatsballet 22 Feb - La Bayadere Berlin Staatsballet 24th Feb - Forsthye programme Dresden Semproper 27th Feb - Sleeping Beauty Leipzig Ballet 28th Feb - The Young Prince Prague Ballet - modern choreography programme. I know very little about ballet so I wonder if German ballet goers can assist to help make the trip better by letting me know: * I could not find any cast lists. My wife would be very interested in knowing who is due to perform so she can research in advance I suspect * Are there any possible rehearsals or tours of the venues available at any of these on any days known * Any tips for any of the venues such as good restaurants or bars that have some ballet history or are just really good/nearby * I am thinking about cutting short the proposed 3 nights in Dresden down to 2 and taking the Odyessy at Hamburg. I know this is subjective but it will make it a packed trip with no downtime so does anyone have any views on whether this production is really worth such a detour ? Thanks for any tips/help/guidance anyone can offer.