Candleque

Thanks for all the reviews above. I love Giselle and was delighted to get to see opening night. Have been a fan girl of Aitor Arrieta since Emerging Dancer 2017. I didn't miss the entrechat six so much, but was truly bummed they didn't do the iconic horizontal lift in Act II. The aptly named angel lift. It's my fave moment in ballet period. I guess it isn't in this version? (I was holding my breathe for it and it didn't happen lol.)

Don't have a good memory of Berthe's mime in other versions. If I didn't already know the story, I would not really understand what she is on about. 

To me, the audience chuckles when a Wili goes flying by, et al, are more an automatic appreciation of the stagecraft than finding the show funny. They don't bother me. And I felt lots of love and appreciation in the audience for the dancers.

Want to give a shout out to debutantes Ivana Bueno and Daniel McCormick for a fab Peasant pas de deux. Wish I could see his Albrecht.

I am truly grateful to be booked for two more casts. Thanks to reasonable prices to begin with, and ENB allowing great offers on the public discount sites, I get to see Giselle three times in top tier seats, for less £££ than one stalls seat in the ROH. Bravo ENB.

On 07/01/2024 at 20:14, Emeralds said:

Hey RB, why not invite Twyla Tharp back to choreograph new work?

This.

Am also a mega Mark Morris fan. All the musicality missing from McGregor (imo) and more.
And I'd love to see the RB reach out to Arielle Smith. Would be great to see what she'd do on the big ROH stage.

6 hours ago, Blossom said:

I am feeling a bit of a final straw moment and have emailed KOH this morning to ask about investment in new classical narrative and heritage works.

Bravo to this. An action I will emulate.

Like many people at the top, I suspect Mr. O'Hare is somewhat insulated from grassroots criticism. His staff is more likely to show him those press clippings from Toronto imo, than a report quoting the frustrated balletomanes here. 

3 hours ago, alison said:

If Hirano's taking over as Des Grieux, does that necessitate the casting of Lescaut (and his Mistress) being changed as well?

Hope not. I have tickets and it is James Hay 😍

Thrilled for Ryoichi Hirano.  

4 hours ago, Angela Essex said:

Side note: I am an unapologetic enthusiastic whooper and loud clapper and think that the dancers deserve the fuss. They are amazing.

This.

45 minutes ago, HopelessMummy said:

I loved the way the ROH was made more accessible. I don't like the snobbery about the etiquette. Ballet should be accessible to all.

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?

55 minutes ago, oncnp said:

or Calvert/Campbell

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  🤍 🦢 🤍

4 hours ago, capybara said:

...the RB does have "real stars" (including a few in their late twenties/early thirties who must surely be in, or reaching, their prime). However, and it seems bizarre to be saying this in this age of social media, today's RB elite dancers do not enjoy the same level of exposure as their predecessors. They are on stage too infrequently for audiences to get to know them, love them, and 'follow' them and the ROH does little or nothing to celebrate their world class status and promulgate their names to the general public.

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.

40 minutes ago, capybara said:

Two words about tonight:

 

YASMINE NAGHDI

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..."

3 hours ago, alison said:

 

Which for all I know could be a (largely?) cut-and-paste job from a press release, BTW.

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. 

11 hours ago, jmhopton said:

Well I've booked my tickets to Giselle,  only 2 for now, but might manage another matinee. This was only made possible by the advance casting so many thanks to Aaron and Irmgard.

I'm also really impressed at the amount of matinées and matinee casts. A really good mix of casts and many big names such as Kajda and Frola.  Also pleased that Irmgard said other casts were, 'waiting in the wings' for future performances.  I was worried that a traditional Giselle would be abandoned in favour of the Akram Khan version so really pleased this isn't the case.  Add to this a pensioner ticket discount (something that would be nice for the ROH to adopt), and a very positive experience all round. Well done Aaron and ENB. A great start to his first full programmed season and I hope he is rewarded by good houses and appreciative audiences. 

💯
Same. Thank you @Irmgard

16 hours ago, SheilaC said:

I'm not fully convinced.  I was at the opening night of The Judas Tree and was absolutely appalled. I spoke to Monica Mason in the interval and several other women joined us. I said that such graphic violence against women was wrong, that there would be women in the audience who had been raped who would be in shock- as I was, I was shaking, even though I haven't suffered rape- and that many men would also be shocked. My husband wasn't there but he always refused to see the ballet, even on the video that I bought that included it. Monica Mason told me and the other women that many of the female dancers were very upset by it. Later that night I wrote to Jeremy Isaacs, Director of the ROH, saying that the audience shouldn't be paying for MacMillan's psychoanalysis on stage.

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. 

18 hours ago, TSR101 said:

Personally also disappointed with Bolle's casting - I would have thought that this was Marianela's choice given her standing in the RB and their previous partnership both at the RB and guesting. 

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. 

12 hours ago, JNC said:

My personal opinion is whilst I respect McGregor’s talent (even if he is usually not to my tastes), there’s a separate issue of should the Royal Ballet’s resident choreographer be someone who isn’t really/primarily a ballet choreographer?

💯
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?