Blossom

Anyone know if she’s better? Just secured tickets for Sat night (which due to Worldpay and gift certificate issues has involved about 6 calls with the Box Office and very grumpy about customer experience) and would be more than ok with this substitution.

25% discount for friends ontop of existing discount - see latest newsletter.

Forgot to add a note on the Guardian sub header - Natalia Osipova hopes to ‘broaden appeal’ of ballet by selling unique digital copies of performances How exactly does this broaden the appeal of ballet rather than perpetuate it as an elite art?

So basically, it's like buying a DVD/Blu Ray but you also have the rights for the film? I understand the value then of the 1 new piece (if it's any good), but what makes the 2021 recordings of 2 Giselle pieces (solos?) more valuable than any others, unless this is the first filmed version since her performance with Acosta. Will this really become a high value asset like the work of Ashton which is being painstakingly pieced together? I find this somewhat mindblowing and you would have to have an awful lot of money to be enticed by this sort of work which would likely be filed away rather than on view... I wonder if NFTs are just a case of Emperor's new clothes... P.S. I am in my early 40s and work in a relatively digitally driven industry so if I don't get it....

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Macmillan had a whole anniversary run involving lots of other companies around the UK. It’s such a shame we are unable to have the same for Ashton, although I am guessing there is far more at play than simply the pandemic. It would have been the perfect year to bring back Cinderella but is that ever going to actually happen?!

Thanks both. I was hoping some balcony seated might come up. I guess I will have to wait for Friday and hope I can get in quick!

Does anyone know which seats in the Stalls Circle and Balcony are held back for Friday Rush?

Raymonda tickets also on offer in the TodayTix Black Friday (week) sale. £55 for top price stalls and offers at other levels too.

It’s simply fabulous.

Generally it’s not height which is the issue- it’s if they lean right forward… I have asked people nicely before if they could sit properly so I can see

Row B loose seats are normal height!

Thanks for confirming this - wasn’t sure they were going to show it!

Without making any attempt to review, I did start thinking during the rehearsal that Isabella Gasparini could make a beautiful Giselle herself. In terms of Act 1 she is exceptionally expressive - in terms of her joy in dancing suiting the role and her hugely expressive eyes, plus she seems naturally suited to the romantic style in act 2.

Yes, completely agree. Looked the same when they bought a full page in the Times to promote a streamed production when they reopened. Completely wrong ad in terms of creative and ad format, never mind whatever their approach in terms of who they thought they might reach… Money prob would have been better spent giving a number of people free access.

Interestingly this seems to be quite a PR push for the ROH at the moment. It's only a few weeks ago that Marianela Nunez made a similar statement in an article in The Times. My husband is a season ticket holder and his seats are c£50 per game for the roughly 17 included home games (depends on the league or something) in a relatively decent seast at the new Spurs stadium which did get me totting up some numbers.... Ballet can be considerably cheaper than £50 for a non-restricted view at Sadlers Wells and the Coliseum if focussing on London, but I suppose the challenge is for the ROH that views are either restricted, standing or rather far away from the action in comparison to a lot of the football tickets in discussion. You've really got to know where the good 'cheap seats' are to get the best experience. I think this sort of 'campaign' needs to go further though - there is the potential to cover their young ROH proposition where pricing is lower for under 25s - and fits nicely in the average football ticket pricing, but also I think they need to consider how to get older people in for the first time and consider their CRM programme. I know there are specialist arts marketing/advertising agencies, but I sometimes wonder, especially with today's bigger challenges post covid (as well as considering streaming) whether the ROH should be looking for bigger, broader media and creative strategy rather than thinking inside of an industry box. I personally don't find their current advertising strategy to be particularly enticing in terms of encouraging people to buy tickets and giving them a reason to give it a go (other than trying something new) and ad creative isn't particularly inspiring. Bleat over.

I booked the wrong date for a performance this week and was expecting to have to wait for the ticket to be resold to get a refund. Was pleasantly surprised that they simply refunded me the value of the ticket because I'd contacted them so soon after booking/so far in advance of the performance.

Editing challenges or they’ve decided to use Ed Watson’s last performance instead? Was really looking forward to seeing it again so soon!!

Last night was my first and only viewing unfortunately and so many reviews not sure I have anything to add. So glad to hear it was an extra long curtain call - I guess as it was filmed for streaming (and possibly TV later on?!). Looking forward to streaming at the weekend. And your post is spot on in terms of mentions - Joseph Sissons absolutely incredible. What I particularly enjoyed - and we got to see on stage with the curtain call - was just how many dancers from all levels of the company were involved, with proper dancing roles. It felt like a real celebration of talent.

Although I do think one of the Royal Ballet’s aims - and our other UK companies - is to prove that ballet is not just pretty tutus and sugar plum fairies, that it can be contemporary and appeal to everyone (still trying to convince my husband but hopefully Dante on Tuesday will help make him see things differently).

I think the mix of content from the Royal Ballet this World Ballet Day has been excellent in terms of High profile content for key productions on stage Highlighting junior dancers and giving them screen time in the 'draft works' rehearsals Showcasing and celebrating new choreography, including from across the company ranks Covering inclusivity and diversity with the Paralympics and Chance to Dance slots Mix of dancers in class - driving familiarity with the company I would love to understand more though in terms of how they use WBD to drive incremental interest in ballet in the UK and its effectiveness. I am sure I'm not fully exposed to all of their event PR/recruitment, but wonder whether they have specific audience targets (total), specific target audiences they are trying to drive penetration with, beyond social media platforms reaching their existing audience how they are reaching new audiences and other than celebrating ballet, what their key ambition is in terms of driving growth over time - to build a secure audience for the future and get bums on seats, the latter seemingly a little challenging based on remaining ticket availability for Autumn... Out of interest was anything going on at the ROH itself today? Even a screen in the piazza?

I was also there this afternoon. Worth bearing in mind it is based on a Samuel Beckett play - not so much existentialist as somewhat tragic, comic in places and generally absurd. It made me consider what it is to be an aged ballerina - not specifically Ferri as the actress/dancer in the piece but the emptiness of life when you cannot do the thing you love the most anymore, or imagining even a dancer with dementia living an almost childlike version of their younger years. It made me feel quite sad.

I think Giselle is all I need to say! After watching her Giselle opposite Acosta on Sky Arts I booked for Osipova/ Hallberg on ‘that’ snowy night when Hallberg was replaced by Ball for act 2. I have seen some other memorable Giselles but none like Osipova’s which actually brought me close to tears. Very much enjoyed her Raymonda Act III. Would have loved to see her as Coppelia live too. As with any dancer, there are obviously roles she excels at and those which are not as perfect but when it is one of those right roles, she is incredible.

Romeo and Juliet really was the perfect production to launch the return to full length performances. The gala style mixed bills were nice to snack on while the company faced the various challenges created by Covid, but I was hungry for a stories, drama and sets! What I love about MacMillan's R&J is how he really makes the music come alive. I don't like the Mariinsky or Nureyev choreography- the storytelling and the music just don't seem consistent. In addition, this is such a great dramatic piece - every time I see it, I notice something new and I am sure so much is missed in recorded versions or live streams because you are directed to where to look. Loved Claire Calvert's performance as Rosaline and her immense frustration at ending up dancing with members of Team Montague. I also don't remember so vividly seeing the whispering as the Capulet guests and family notice they have a Montague intruder. So many other little brilliant moments of acting from the wider company which really draw you in and make this so much more than just a ballet. Loved every moment and every dancer - Francesca Hayward plays a young Juliet so realistically and is just gorgeous to watch dancing. Cesar Corrales is a perfect mix of mischief and charm. Sambe's Mercutio wowed with his speedy steps and James Hay completed team Montague perfectly. Loved every minute of Matthew Ball's fiery, brooding Tybalt and Mayara Magri was a perfect tomboy of a harlot (another brilliant trio). So drawn into the highs and lows of every single moment - so much so that I got lost in the story and completely forgot that I know exactly what's going to happen at the next turn. Can't wait for my next booking in March (so hard to choose but booked for O'Sullivan/Sambe).

I found it a little bit of a hairy experience this morning. Everything was going very smoothly until my payment was processing. Payment was taken and on redirect to site, everything crashed, 'my events' didn't update, i didn't get a confirmation email but the money had been charged. I then struggled to log back into the site....It was a bit of a painful 30 min wait, while watching alternative seats disappear before my eyes!!