Clapping

[Jan McNulty]

Personally, although I don't, whooping and hollering during applause at appropriate moments does not bother me.

[Jacqueline]

The chap - who I didn't know -  sitting next to me at the Osipova/Vasiliev DonQ, got terribly excited every time Vasiliev appeared. He was constantly moving forward in his seat, doing that tennis player style clenching of the fist and emitting a "Yesssssss". If Vasiliev didn't do a 'big jump' after all, which wasn't very often, the poor chap's disappointment was almost palpable. 

This was quite funny, unlike the loud whooping coming from some woman, unfortunately near me at the Guillem finale at the Coli. Luckily, she reserved the racket mostly for the end, but it was very much a self regarding demonstration. She kept looking around at the audience, rather than at Sylvie.It was very, very LOUD!

[alison]

I find that if I've really loved a performance I seem to find superhuman hand/arm strength; if it's been so-so, the clapping quickly becomes a struggle.

 

Cupping the hands flamenco-style helps, of course  But I still can't do the whooping and hollering.

 

Is there anything more pathetic than seeing a dancer who has milked the audience for applause for all it is worth  overstaying his or her welcome and walking off the stage to total silence?

 

I do love Schadenfreude sometimes

 

Stamping is rare today and far more likely to be heard at the opera than the ballet. I am not sure if that is because the ballet audience in that part of the house is less aware of the acoustic properties of the auditorium because they are visitors rather than regulars or because it is now more difficult to stamp effectively. There used to be an angled strip of wood that ran along the front row of the upper slips at foot level which could have made for enthusiastic stamping. This disappeared when the house was refurbished. 

 

Stamping still frequently happens at the Proms, but then the Albert Hall echo may help there.  I *have* heard what you might call a "stamping ovation" at the ROH once - but it was so rare that I could tell you precisely what performance it was: Ed Watson's third performance in his first run of Mayerling.  I was in stalls circle standing that night, and it was rather loud  Mind you, it was a bank holiday, and the run hadn't been selling particularly well, so there may have been fewer of the regular audience members there than usual.

 

Can I extend this discussion to clapping whilst STANDING UP?! This seems to happen more and more often, and for performances that are honestly not so exceptional. More in the Linbury than the main house, and certainly more in other venues. It really annoys me, because 1) the stander/clapper is often hooting as well, 2) I cannot see the curtain calls unless I stand too, which would force me to join the enemy, 3) the clapping often takes place with arms held above the head, and 4) it frequently seems that the transgressors is trying to show that they are more enthusiastic than their neighbours, that they are more knowledgeable, that they deserve attention, that their ululations and big shoulders outweigh the timid people behind.....

 

Seconded 100%.  I particularly agree with the bit about "joining the enemy" - I flatly refuse to stand up in such cases where I really don't think it warranted, even if it means I miss the curtain calls.

 

 I mean, if you do something like that standardly, what are you going to do when there really is something outstanding? Bungee jump from the balcony?

 

Exactly my point.  But I wonder, would they actually *recognise* if something *was* outstanding?  Or do they just indiscriminately mentally rate everything at 5-star level?  I recall numerous responses in the comments to newspaper reviews where the critic has been a bit sniffy and people have come back with "well I thought it was marvellous"-type comments.  If I've actually seen the performance in question, I sometimes think "you thought *that* was marvellous?!" 

[Scheherezade]

For what it's worth, my two penn'orth on whether to clap or not to clap:

 

1. The existence of, and motivation behind, the claquers is well documented; it is disingenuous to attempt to deny either;

2. For the most part, regular audiences of the performing arts in the UK feel that it is an unwelcome and unwarranted intrusion to interrupt the flow of a performance by random and/or self-indulgent clapping, which is disruptive both to the performers and to other members of the audience and that displays of appreciation can, and generally should, be reserved for the end of the performance although exceptions can occasionally be made for something particularly outstanding;

3. If these exceptions are allowed to become general practice, this may have the effect of diminishing the truly exceptional;

4. It is fully recognised that British audience members can behave in a wholly unacceptable manner - the 'audience behaviour' thread makes it quite clear that this is recognised by, and is a matter of concern to, forum members and that no distinction is made between British and non-British audience members;

5. Disruptive behaviour can generally, although not always, be attributed to infrequent theatre-goers who may have have had little exposure to the medium and who may not therefore know any better; these theatre-goers may attend the theatre because they want to see a favourite performer close up, not because of any desire to see the performance that they have chosen to attend;

6. There is an argument that reserving applause or displeasure until the end of a performance, or generally watching in silence, denies the spontaneity that was present in the early days of the performing arts; 

7. The contrary argument is that this ignores the evolution of participatory theatre through spectator theatre to 'theatre with the lights off' which emerged to divert the attention of audience members from themselves to what was happening onstage; it also ignores the irrefutable fact that much of the 'spontaneous' behaviour of the past would be considered utterly gross by almost anyone today;

6. Most British people utterly condemn the behaviour of the small number of drunken or loutish British holidaymakers who give Brits a bad name abroad and few, if any, would seek to excuse this behaviour on the basis that the perpetrators were British.

 

When I first began regularly attending the ROH as a student in the early 70s, no-one clapped until the very end of a performance, anything else was considered discourteous. On the rare occasions when anyone did, onlookers would remark (and apologies here to Sim and any other forum members with lineage from across the pond) that they must be American.

 

Finally, on an envious note to Mab, how exciting it must be to come along with your fiends! Can I come?

[MAB]

 

Finally, on an envious note to Mab, how exciting it must be to come along with your fiends! Can I come?

 

Beung the worlds worst typist (see what I mean, and that wasn't deliberate) I rely on spellcheck to point out my errors, sadly leaving out a letter resulted in something spellcheck recognised as a word, btw wish it was called typecheck as I can spell perfectly well, I just can't type! 

[jm365]

When I first started going to the ROH in the sixties, after the coming of Nureyev, my memory is that one often clapped the first entry of the ballerina and the principal male dancer and then waited till the end, on the whole, for any more applause.

[Coated]

This thread is giving me nightmares of a standing audience indulging in rhythmic clapping whilst repeatedly humming the last few bars of the music. Stop it before I cry myself to sleep.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Coated

[simonbfisher]

This thread is giving me nightmares of a standing audience indulging in rhythmic clapping whilst repeatedly humming the last few bars of the music. Stop it before I cry myself to sleep.

 

 

Don't forget the syncopated hooting..... That'll keep you awake!