Blossom

I know- with Bolshoi prices even higher than Beauty, it simply gives an opportunity to get a better idea of what sort of seats go for what sort of prices (give or take a flexible pricing plan).

Adding to Janet's note, top price Cinderella tickets at Manchester Opera House and Swan Lake at the Lowry are about £50. Still, the ROH is a magical place to visit, but the challenge is finding a seat without restricted view at the right price. Because the seating plan is changeable, this might not be a completely foolproof way of checking prices, but with Bolshoi seats topping the Sleeping Beauty prices, you could look at some of their performances which still have unsold seats you can click on to see the price/view to get an idea of where in the theatre you could sit. https://www.roh.org.uk/productions/the-bright-stream-by-bolshoi-ballet is a good one to look at - 8th Aug performance has a lot of seats still free.

Just looked at the year broken out into seasons. It’s very top heavy. 4 productions in Autumn all of which I want to see and very little classical ballet in Winter/Spring/Summer. I think I am going to become quite a stranger to the opera house this year. On the plus side that leaves more money for ENB and BRB at the Coli and Sadlers.

Finally Coppélia! It’s been so long since I last saw it- predates when RB last had it on. Only Ashton’s Cinderella remains- don’t know when they last danced it but I last saw it in 2010. Happy with all of the full length ballets- for those shown recently I will prob choose one cast carefully and squeeze in cinema if I can. Having seen Francesca Hayward in place of Laura Morera I wonder if i will get to see her this season. Swan Lake has to be Naghdi/Ball. Naghdi was perfection last season. Looking forward to the Ashton/MacMillan/Nureyev triple and also to seeing Onegin for the first time. Imtrigued to see what the impact of no Nutcracker will have on speed of sales.

Class today was enjoyable to watch. There were a few Aud Jebsen dancers who look so, so young but danced beautifully. In terms of all of the dancers, class really demonstrated just how hard they have to work, how focussed they have to be on all of the tiny little details. Wonderful simply watching the dancers’ feet to see how much strength, flexibility and fluidity they can work through them. Matthew Ball took class and it was easy to see why he has made principal- striking focus, super strong technique, so precise. So hard to take eyes off him.... Representing the ladies were Mayara Magri- again a cut above, the wonderful Itziar Mendizabel and Leticia Dias who were delightful to watch. One of the AJ ladies finished the class with a crazy number of fouetté turns only exceeded by one of Magri and Mendizabel but can’t remember which. Joseph Sissons also wonderful to watch and one to watch! Also lovely to see David Donnelly in class.

McCormick was on fire last night! Velicu was a lovely partner and they worked well together but Daniel McCormick has such incredible presence for this punchy pdd. Speaking of punch, Julia Conway appeared to be channeling Osipova - sublimely Russian and danced her pdd with such authority - and what a fantastic pairing with Rentaro who was also electric! It was definitely one of those years where you really couldn’t guess the winner. Wagman was obviously in his element given his competition history, he and his partner worked well together although she and Yeomans’ partner looked a little nervous. The ladies danced beautifully but Conway was a step ahead In the ladies’ camp. Yeomans was just a joy to watch - he was radiant and reminded me of one of my nephews with his dimply smile (I could just pinch those cheeks!). Soft spot because he is a fellow Manc. Had the pleasure of sitting next to/infront of some of the principals/first soloists who coached the performers (including Jeffrey Cirio who seems a lot taller in real life!) and their whooping after each performance really added to the enjoyment (although a certain Grizabella infront of us chose to stick her fingers in her ears).

Where I am sitting tends to be less important than who is sitting around me/who i am sitting behind! I had a terrible experience sitting behind a couple on a date at the last two pigeons run. They were constantly leaning into each other and I couldn’t see a thing. Neither could the people behind me. I find this really stressful and on this occasion I should have complained or left. That was stalls middle bank of seats where each row is slightly offset so this shouldn’t be a problem. A decent view is a big factor in terms of my favourite seats- at all price ranges. It doesn’t always mean front row or best price at the ROHbut this is something I won’t compromise on (unless I have knowingly booked a slight restricted view). At the Coliseum, it’s much easier to find a good view and to really get drawn into the performance. Atmosphere is also really important- some areas of the ROH are just more buzzy to sit in than others. Sadlers Wells is often simply lacking in terms of atmosphere -it can depend on the production which sometimes dictates the crowd but i also think it is lacking because it is such a sparse, modern auditorium. Live music also much preferred in this venue to recorded music which is a lot less involving.

Thanks for Mariinsky tips - really helpful! Were you part of a tour group or did you find your own guide?

Thanks so much for all of this really useful info- I am getting really excited about planning a trip and hope I can manage to wait until this time next year! Visa info really useful (if perhaps a bit daunting) and thanks for hotel info too.

Thanks both! Looking at prices for both theatres- they seem a lot more expensive than the ROH.... Any seating tips also greatly received!

I would like to plan a trip to St Petersburg next year in May time and need some recommendations. Other than a trip to the Hermitage, Winter Palace, Theatre museum, Faberge museum and of course the Mariinsky, is there anything else which I shouldn’t miss? Any hotel recommendations? Is the city walkable or is it the sort of place to hop in and out of taxis? When would the 2020 season be announced/bookable as I would probably plan my timing around that. Thanks!

It was a very well done film and very much enjoyed. Incredible to see what he has achieved and how he got there. Very emotional and moving, especially to see his family watching his Lausanne performance on TV all the way from Cuba.

I picked up The Red Bulletin among the free papers at Gatwick today. There’s a big feature on sports science at the Royal Ballet featuring William Bracewell, Matthew Ball, Gemma Pitchley-Gale, Clare Calvert and Alexander Campbell. It’s a really interesting read which explains what all of the gym training and treatments help with. You can read the digital version here https://issuu.com/redbulletin.com/docs/0519_uk_lowres

I'd go to Ellis Island. The immigrant story is so central to what it is to be an American and it's absolutely fascinating. There are also some interesting walking tours in this sort of vein around the Lower East Side but I don't remember what. You have to have a New York deli food experiece. Again, it's been a while but they are everywhere! I think Katz's is the 'famous' one but not been there myself. In terms of NYCB, I remember finding a site which gives reviews of seats in theatres but you can't get this sort of info on the Lincoln Center website. Having said that, the theatre itself is much less of a horseshoe shape and much more of a gentle curve so most offer good sightlines. Go for the best position within your price range. Best way is to sort seats by price - orchestra stalls, first and second ring have some options at $35 so you might be pleasantly surprised! You can reject any seats which have a restricted view once they are in your basket.

Another more personal obituary in the Jewish Chronicle today which gives a bit more insight into the man behind the music/ballet.