OnePigeon

It’s good BRB are bringing Sleeping Beauty to London and I’m glad it’s the Peter Wright version, but I can’t help feeling frustrated that all the major companies seem to be dancing the same few ballets within a short period of time. We just had The RB’s Sleeping Beauty and ENB and RB keep clashing with their Cinderella/Nutcracker/Swan Lakes. I guess they’re all bringing out the old war horses to guarantee income, but there are so many other ballets I wish I could see instead...Fille anyone? 😏

Thank you - that’s what I was wondering: if it was a choice they made to not ever perform them or just on that night. When I said I wondered if they couldn’t mange them, I obviously know they are two of the best dancers in the world and didn’t mean they aren’t up to it, just that in that particular moment, possibly due to injury, not being 100%, or it not feeling right at that moment, they left them out on the evening I saw them. I would also be interested to hear of the little choreographic differences between dancers - it’s what makes seeing different casts so wonderful.

I did notice they didn’t do the little throw in those lifts in Act 1 and wondered why they missed them out? I felt that Act 1 was a little muted and it seemed to me like they couldn’t quite manage them, which surprised me, but wondered if Vadim and Marianela usually perform them? They’d certainly warmed up by the end though - culminating in those incredible and electrifying pas de deuxs and solos. Marianela was pure radiance, an absolute superstar.

That’s great to know, thanks. I was lucky enough to be in the stalls last night and was thinking the front seats might be good as the orchestra pit gives a good amount of space from the stage. I might give them a go if I get the chance.

You’re right - I forgot about the small amount of slightly cheaper seats at the front to the side. I’ve never tried one of them as I worry about the view being too close, but maybe they’re worth a try. I’m not sure if they have always been slightly cheaper, or if it’s a more recent thing? I don’t recall seeing them as an option when I used to regularly sit in the stalls around 15-20 years ago.

Interestingly, there are now three different prices for the stalls - not that stalls seats for Swan Lake are a possibility for me, not being well heeled or one of the chosen ones to get £12 tickets 😏. I’ll try to save up for the triple though as it’s not much cheaper to sit in the amphitheatre these days.

There are complimentary tickets for guests of artists, management etc - I have been a recipient of free tickets to both the Coliseum and RB in the past due to connections I had at the time and I’m sure this is still the case.

Hmmm, waffle basically. There wouldnt be the need for all these special initiatives if the initial price point wasn’t so high. The main barrier to access across all potential and current, struggling audience members is the cost of tickets. I mainly book Friday Rush as I’m pretty much priced out otherwise. It’s great to take the art form to the widest audience possible and highlight that ballet is for everyone and not an elitist experience where people will feel out of place or uncomfortable, but how does it make any business sense to not just discount the tickets to a reasonable price and give people the opportunity to book? If they offered these seats as part of the Friday Rush I’m sure they would sell out. Surely £12 tickets should be offered as the very last resort to these ‘partners’ and friends/family. Perhaps they just don’t want to set a precedent whereby their regular audience could hold out for last minute discounts.

There are too many wonderful principal pairings these days for my liking: I used to just book to see whichever cast had Mukhamedov or Acosta and it was quite a simple choice (though hindsight tells me I overlooked some other wonderful dancers.) Now I don’t have an actual favourite couple or dancer I am constantly wondering if I’ve booked the right cast. I really need to win the lottery. With regards to standing ovations and audience enthusiasm, the most amazing atmosphere I have experienced was in Havana seeing the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, complete with an appearance by Alicia Alonso who waved from the box and got a huge cheer. They truly love their ballet and it was an exhilarating and heartwarming evening.

The entrechat six isn’t necessary and is a vehicle for the dancer that performs them to show off. I don’t love them and don’t have a burning desire to see them, but praise where it’s due - they take an enormous amount of strength and stamina and it’s impressive to be able to perform so many. It doesn’t move the art form to new heights of artistry, but it is impressive in terms of strength, stamina and technique. There is a place in ballet for impressive showy tricks, as long as that’s not what it’s only about.

🤣 I’m already getting a bit twitchy about Manon as I’ve booked to see Osipova/Clarke as my friends wanted to do a matinee, but I’d really love to see Vadim’s Des Grieux and then there’s William Bracewell too. Maybe if it doesn’t sell well and we’re lucky and do a lot of 9am hovering we can get those special £12.50 tickets, though I’ll be at work and unable to, so.... I rarely see more than one performance of a ballet as I simply can’t afford it and don’t have the time due to work and childcare. I was lucky to be bought a ticket as an early birthday treat for Don Q and bought Friday Rush tickets for the Saturday matinee, but generally I get a Friday Rush or occasionally treat myself to a side stalls seat for the less expensive ballets. I wish I did have deep pockets though!

Indeed! It seems highly unlikely, doesn’t it? I wonder who they went to - the ballet school maybe? I don’t think Friday Rush ever include stalls seats, they seem to mainly be upper amphitheatre as far as I can tell, though I’d be happy to be corrected on this as I am a rarely able to log on at 1pm.

I managed to sneak off at work today and get my Friday Rush tickets for tomorrow - very naughty, but needs must! I was praying they might offer the, as of yesterday, swathes of unsold stalls seats as a Friday Rush, but sadly and mysteriously the whole of the stalls section was sold out when I went to book 🧐. So glad I managed to nab a pair though (my bank account isn’t so pleased!)

I think all of the above reasons are very true and I do agree about there not being the star dancers there have been in the past- bar a few exceptions - who even then aren’t household names. The Arts in general is just not well represented in the media anymore, and with the wide choice of streaming services and YouTube to watch, the audience is so dispersed that even if ballet was shown on the BBC daily, it still wouldn’t have the reach it once had. It is very hard to make artists and dancers the stars they once were. Having said that, although I think there are lots of amazing dancers who I love to watch, I do believe the RB doesn’t currently have a real stand out star whose charisma and presence transcends the regular ballet going audience. I think the Arts in general are suffering as everything has become so expensive and some people’s habits have changed post-Covid. People working from home more and not being in Town so much may be a factor as they would have gone to a performance after work, but may not make a special trip into London for it. Perhaps tourism in London is down, or the higher prices stop the tourists from attending. There’s a lot of competition out there for their money and the theatre has gone up in price so much that maybe they have to choose between a West End show and the ballet now, whereas once they could have seen both, or maybe they can get last minute deals to shows, whereas the RB don’t offer last minute discounts to most audience members. Personally, lack of funds and the very narrow programming is the main factor in my purchasing habits. I’m only seeing one performance of one ballet on average per season. There are so many ballets I haven’t actually seen live that it’s incredibly frustrating that the ones I am seeing are all ones I’ve seen before - with the exception of Don Q which I originally missed. I do feel that they have largely disconnected from their past, churning out the usual suspect on an infuriatingly regular basis whilst eschewing most of the amazing and influential works bridging the classical and contemporary worlds, which are now slipping into obscurity (however, I feel like I moan about that on a far too regular basis). Perhaps this isn’t such a wise direction for them to take after all.

Oh my! Their dancing is truly breathtaking - such beautiful, elegant lines and wonderful strength, control and precision. If I can get a Friday Rush I may have to bite the bullet and go - we will have to live on baked beans for a while 😬.

Unfortunately I doubt I’ll make it back to NYC any time soon, but it’s great to see clips and read your reports - they are a company I admire hugely, with a great history which they are proud to show off and a really well balanced repertoire, as far as I can tell from this side of the pond. Peck and Rartmansky are current choreographers who are producing exciting new works, but very much in the ballet idiom. I would be thrilled to see more of their work performed here. Sadly, I cannot share your enthusiasm for McGregor and don’t see him as any kind of successor to MacMillan, being too far on the side of Contemporary dance rather than ballet, for my taste. To each their own, however. Enjoy the rest of the season!

I’m afraid not even the wonderful Mr Bracewell could persuade me to book Dante. I ended up booking a different cast for Manon due to dates not aligning and needing a matinee, but I really did want to see his Des Grieux and have a bit of buyer’s regret over the tickets I did book. Maybe I could take out a second mortgage / sell a kidney and treat myself to another ticket to see him. I’ve only seen his Romeo in the filmed version and I thought he was incredible - he would definitely be my first choice Romeo if they stage it again soon. Anyway, I shall stop hi-jacking the thread with my William Bracewell fangirling.

Oh drat! I had vowed not to bother with Swan Lake - it’s not a favourite, I’ve seen it enough and I want to save my money for the Ashton triples - but I think you may have changed my mind. Bracewell as Siegfried is a wonderful prospect.

I totally agree, Bracewell is a beautiful dancer - very lyrical and musical with a lovely, graceful classical technique - and handsome to boot 😁. Don Q isn’t the ballet I most associate with his qualities and I’d probably rather see him in a less bravura role, but I do need to see him dance soon - you never know what the fates have in store. Maybe I’ll grit my teeth, don my opera glasses and sit in the upper amphitheatre with a Friday Rush ticket if they don’t throw an offer my way.

Yes, I’m crossing fingers for a deal and I won’t feel too bad about already paying full price as the performance I’m going to is sold out. There are so many seats available still for a Saturday matinee in less than a week, I’m very surprised they haven’t put an offer out - unless they’ll offer discount stalls seats for the Young ROH scheme as I believe they did with Cinderella. Good for you @Linnzi5, if I could afford to book for multiple casts these would definitely be my next choice. I still haven’t seen Bracewell live in a principal role and he’s one of my favourite dancers. I really need to remedy this.

Yes, it won’t work on Don Q unfortunately. I was hoping the discount might enable me to see William Bracewell - under the guise / justification of taking my son - but I’ll have to just settle for the Nunez/Muntagirov I have already booked (and am very excited about).

Thank you @Linnzi5. That’s a pretty unusual discount code system! I’ll give it a go now.

What an embarrassment of riches you have over at NYCB with so many wonderful ballets being programmed during this celebratory season - I would be bankrupt trying to see it all. Maybe it’s just as well the RB aren’t staging many works I really want to see as I couldn’t really afford it. I am so envious of the wonderful repertoire we rarely get to see here. If I ever win some money, one of the first things I’ll do is get over to New York to witness some Balanchine and Robbins danced in the correct style on the stage the works were created for.

Where do you enter the discount code? I was just looking to see if it would work on Don Q and can’t see any option to add the code at checkout. They clearly really don’t want me to get a discount....😕

She was dancing The Man I Love pas de deux from Who Cares. It’s on YouTube if you haven’t seen it - it’s absolutely beautiful.