Candleque

Hope not. I have tickets and it is James Hay 😍 Thrilled for Ryoichi Hirano.

This.

Agree. I didn't attend last night but imo these amazingly talented dancers always deserve cheering. Personally I feel the often repeated words from the ROH management about expanding their audience usually don't match their actions or marketing. It is weird to think that some hardcore ballet fans also don't really want a more diverse audience, unless the newbies somehow know these unwritten rules about how to behave.

Thanks to @capybara + @oncnp for the casting info 🙏. Stray question: Opening night I know is designated as the 'first cast' and is a mark of hierarchy/respect for those principals. After that, does it make any difference really (as far as prestige) in the RB as to who is 2nd, 3rd, 4th cast, etc. Or is it just a scheduling thing to allow guesting opportunities or whatever?

Ok I know they don't usually dance together, but how great would this be to let them have an uber romantic show as onstage partners 🤍 🦢 🤍

This. (Bold emphasis mine). There is an oft-quoted principle in business which says: in general, 20% of your customers represent 80% of your sales. Smart marketers analyse that top 20% to replicate their characteristics and grow their audience overall. Seeing multiple casts because you know and love specific dancers is a balletomane thing. It is repeat buyers that used to sell out the ROH. The general public doesn't know (or care) that a ballet like Don Q can have 6-7 different must-see casts. Hit your core audience with sky high prices and unattractive programming (cough-McGregor-cough) and it is no wonder many above have mentioned getting their ballet fix more affordably elsewhere. The Royal Ballet need to convince casual fans to buy more than one ticket to replace this drop-off. Mainstream fame for the dancers is key to building demand to see them. (And so obvious even the ROH marketing peeps must know it.)

Is anyone a member of Central Tickets? I just stumbled upon their seat filler service. Don't know if they ever have ballet. An article in the Guardian (2018) says there are several agencies like this, but doesn't name the others.

Side question: Has Matty ever danced Espada? Or Yasmine Mercedes? Also — I know this has been covered — but it is sooo crazy how little we get to see Yasmine on stage at the ROH this season.

En fuego 🔥👏🔥

I also received the offer email today. First time ever IIRC. I did see the Cellist last time, but haven't booked for this year. Interestingly, I actually received two emails. They are testing subject lines and copy. Which is best practice, but typically you don't send them to the same person one after another 😆 1st email Stalls tickets from £50... > Experience extraordinary ballet from some of the best seats in the house with our exclusive offer: get 25% off selected tickets. Simply use the discount code DUPRE25* to redeem! 2nd email 25% off tickets... > we're also offering you a 25% discount on the first three performances of this mixed programme with our discount code GODS25*.

Felt like a Christmas miracle — I was able to get a SCS ticket for opening night. Guess the ROH must hold a few back for general booking? I wouldn't have booked for more than one Manon otherwise. Saved my pennies (pounds) for a good seat to see Yasmine Naghdi and William Bracewell. Splurged on another SCS for Sarah Lamb, who I love but rarely get to see. Bonus is James Hay as her brother 😍

So sad and distressing to read about Peanut68's experience and all the others on this thread. I am reminded of a (public) podcast interview with former RB first soloist Tierney Heap where she talks openly about body image, including being told as a RBS US student that she should get a breast reduction. The Royal Ballet School owes it to students past and present to address these issues imo. Instead they just appear to be ramping up social posts that show happy kids on a school outing or exploring London.

Just want to say thanks for all who post here, especially for sharing specifics like whether they spot good SCS places available on the Friend+ or Friend booking days. The ROH actually sent me a 'renew your membership' email with a countdown to booking dates (only remarkable as it is smart marketing) and I struggled to decide if it is worth it. Early booking is most valuable imo if you can get a great view at an affordable price. (Going by Don Q, there are plenty of the high priced seats available on the public booking day 😁)

If you google "Royal Ballet School" and go to the News results, you'll see a few of these positive PR placed stories creeping in underneath the mainstream newspapers (Daily Mail having a ball btw). On random sites like Warrington Worldwide (no offence to the actual town) which states in its fine print: "Please note this website contains advertising and sponsored content..."

Agree. I read that piece and and immediately felt it's 100% press release. Having worked for a global PR agency, I recognise this common tactic in a reputation crisis — the organisation under fire scrambles to get positive stuff placed on friendly sites like this to mitigate all the negative headlines. Especially as search results last a long time. Many are wondering what the schools in question are doing in response. Sadly I suspect this is it.

Super interesting thread. Thanks capybara 🙏 My opinions of dancers' performances is not influenced by their social so much as my interest in them as people/celebrities. Which makes me want to see them dance. Which makes me buy more tickets. For example, I love Balanchine and adore his masterpiece Jewels. But only saw it once. My head (budget) won over my heart, because I didn't know any of the Australian dancers. Instagram is a great tool to spot the younger dancers, which makes it easier for me to recognise them on stage. Caspar Lench is already my fave new RB joiner and I have never seen him dance IRL. His Instagram posts just seems full of joy and charisma. I think a lot of us root for corps members and soloists to get opportunities because we follow their lives on social. Even the principal dancers are relatively young. They grew up knowing how to use social to control their own narrative. Which is fantastic in my eyes. For example, soon after it launched in 2004, Facebook introduced the Relationship Status feature. Now, Instagram is the platform of choice when dancers want to publicly share a relationship milestone, as well as a career highlight. They do it purposefully. Considering how much their dance career is controlled by others, I love seeing dancers take agency for their own lives. There are common conventions for content on Instagram that may seem off-putting to us. Wikipedia tells us that thirst traps (those sexy photos) can contribute to personal branding. The line between tasteful and icky is different for everyone, but the poster is controlling their own content and increasing their reach on purpose. Brand sponsorships and modelling opportunities definitely look at follower counts and type of content posted. I suspect gala producers do as well. Humble brags (publicly thanking partners, announcing guest performances, et al) are seen as good manners. I agree with FionaE that a star like Natalia Osipova could really help boost ticket sales if she chose to. Dancers that post a lot about their photo shoots or brand gifts are signalling to that world — saying both thank you and this is something I'm open to as a side gig. Anything dancers can do to boost their income is a positive imo. Even world class stars get paid so little in comparison to their peers in sports and entertainment. Part of that income disparity is a dancer's fame is quite niche. I believe the more famous dancers get as individuals, the better for the art form. How many people went to their first ballet because they saw Darcey Bussell in mainstream media? What would it mean for ballet if TV stations were fighting for the broadcast rights as they do for football? While many here may disagree with our celebrity chasing culture, we probably agree that these amazingly talented artists deserve kardasian-level attention and rewards.

💯 Same. Thank you @Irmgard

I didn't see opening night but was similarly appalled. Good to hear you shared your views with the management. I wonder if dancers are allowed to say no to these parts or if would harm their career to speak out. Just because rape is a sad reality in our world, it isn't my choice of entertainment. In fact I think it normalises misogynistic behaviour when people see it consistently depicted in films, music, or on stage. I've not seen a deep dive from critics or historians into why MacMillan was so specifically drawn to depicting violence against women. (There are lots of other horrors of modern life he ignores.) It's not just Judas Tree or The Invitation. He adds it to quite a lot of his work. I can't sit through the third act of Manon anymore. Even in Romeo & Juliet (his best ballet imo) he just has to add some violence with Tybalt throwing a harlot to the ground (as if we couldn't tell he's a hot head) and making Paris act controlling and abusive toward Juliet, which is nowhere to be found in the play.

Having never seen Roberto Bolle live, I'd quite like to (if I could magically afford all the casts.) Makes sense if it was Marianela's choice, but also management is of course aware of his fan base and star power. I'm impressed personally at how he makes ballet seem more part of the now (popular culture) than the past. This casting aside, what I'd really like to learn more about from the experts here is how much input principal dancers have on their partners. (I'm assuming most other levels have none 😉) IIRC, Ed Watson had a lot to do with Francesca Hayward being given Manon back in 2014. Or so they said. How much participation or negotiation DO top dancers get in their casting? 🤔

Feeling a bit like a lottery winner in the blind booking sweepstakes for getting Viola Pantuso 🩰, James Hay 💛, and Gary Avis ✨🎄✨ to go with Yasmine Naghdi and Matthew Ball 😉 Clara has got to be so much fun to dance. Star of the show (with no needless nail biting fouettés or such). If I could be a ballerina for a day, this is the role I'd pick. Such a great opportunity for the younger dancers to really shine. It was seeing Francesca Hayward and Alexander Campbell back when that made me fall in love with them as dancers. (Suits them more than the gold dust Sugar Plum and Prince imo.) Now I'm hoping Santa finds a way for me to afford more of the new Claras 🎁

Thank you for this interesting thread. I went back to look at the last run of Don Quixote to compare my own purchase behaviour. In 2019, I went to four performances (including the rehearsal). This year, I've let my Friend's Membership lapse, as I don't see the value atm. And I only booked two shows for Don Q. One for my fave pair and one for a debut. For almost the exact same seat, I paid 36% more in 2023. At the current prices, I'm passing on the Cellist entirely. (Although I'm happy for Mayara Magri, who I'm sure will smash it.) In 2020, I saw both casts. I wanted to support the premier and I was excited to see Beatriz Stix-Brunell in a starring role. Plus, it was paired with Dances at a Gathering, which is a must see for me. (With respect to Valentino Zucchetti, I'd see Anemoi again at Linbury prices, but these days I can only justify main stage money for something I love.) Looking at what I paid then, the same seat is now a whopping 46.6% more. Checked my math twice, as it really is unbelievable. Not being a McGregor fan, I put my savings from skipping Dante into a couple of Nutcrackers. (I need this year to end on a happy note ✨🎄✨) Overall, compared to pre-covid 2019, I will see 50% less performances this year.

💯 Eternally puzzled why Royal Ballet doesn't appoint a living classical ballet choreographer. (Even in addition to McGregor, if they just can't bear to part with him for some reason.) Investing in new full length classical works needs a company of this size, prestige and donor base. Agree with @JNC's full post. I used to see everything the RB did at least once, out of respect for the dancers. But after too many costly and disappointing evenings, finally decided I didn't have to suffer through work I didn't enjoy. Duh. (Fwiw, I am a fan of many other modern choreographers, but the musical genius ones like Mark Morris.) Agree with @annamk — where is our Ratmansky?

Wishing I could have been there. Thanks for the curtain call videos @Sim and the lovely photos. Fun to see Brandon wearing a zebra tee shirt 🦓

Agree. Thrilled for Mr Acri; he deserves this starring role. Can't help but feel sad though that James Hay didn't get a chance also. He'd be an amazing Basilio too imo. ps: Ryoichi Hirano is my ultimate Espada. If they would only tell us in advance who's dancing that role, it would help me so much in picking the couple of shows I can afford.

Agree. Huge follower of Marco Masciari. I was so happy to get to see his Jester as I waited a long time to see him in a showcase role like this 🌟 One of the (many) things I do not understand about RB casting is the slow progress of younger award-winning dancers. (Appreciate how world class the upper levels are! And the limit to available roles). But shouldn't winning the Prix de Lausanne mean something about your talent level, even once you get in to a company? Stanisław Węgrzyn is another dancer I'd love to see get more opportunities. NOT to compare dancers but rather companies — for example look how many principal roles António Casalinho or Shale Wagman have danced (beautifully) at Bayerisches Staatsballett. I guess I just wonder why a Prix de Lausanne winner would go to the hierarchy heavy RB vs a smaller company where they can really shine in classical roles from the start.