Audience Behaviour

[Jan McNulty]

Thanks for the link.  Very thought-provoking....

[Coated]

Yes. Though it's not provoking a lot of nice thought. Maybe doctors should stop scrubbing up, seeing that they didn't do that for a few thousand years either.

 

His argument only works when you come from the premises that the noise in the theatre would be related to his show. Does he think Shakespeare's drunks were discussing the quality of the monologue, or some wenching they were hoping to get done later?

How happy would he be in his fringe show when I have a nice loud rant during the show about a domestic topic of my choice?

[Quintus]

I liked the point that Tamara Rojo made on the Proms discussion the other night, about appreciating a few seconds silence after dying as Juliet to come out of the role before the applause begins; I'v been at performances where there's almost a competition among the middle aged men to yell Brava first.  The general audience 'tone' can make a big difference to the feel of a performance and must affect the dancers too.  I thought the Saturday matinee audience was rather muted, and the dancers must have been disappointed at times - but then for some reason it was a very elderly audience.  By contrast the Osipova / Vasiliev DQ had the audience completely energised, and the dancers in turn fed off that energy.  Chap near me at that was practically frothing at the mouth and couldn't even articulate his Bravas - every time Natalia did her stuff he just bawled 'waaaagh'...  As an aside, if anyone follows Ivan on Facebook, look at his recent photos - the ones of him and Natalia snarling at each other over a hambone are hilarious.

[Shmendrick]

Yes. Though it's not provoking a lot of nice thought. Maybe doctors should stop scrubbing up, seeing that they didn't do that for a few thousand years either.

 

His argument only works when you come from the premises that the noise in the theatre would be related to his show. Does he think Shakespeare's drunks were discussing the quality of the monologue, or some wenching they were hoping to get done later?

How happy would he be in his fringe show when I have a nice loud rant during the show about a domestic topic of my choice?

 

   Maybe we should organise a forum trip to one of his shows, book the front rows and have a loud catch-up on forum gossip?

[Coated]

Excellent plan. One could start a gentle discussion about upcoming dancers, move into choppier waters discussing the merits of the RB 'vs' the ENB and end with a rousing rendition of 'Does the Nationality of its Dancers define a company'.

[Willie]

Excellent plan. One could start a gentle discussion about upcoming dancers, move into choppier waters discussing the merits of the RB 'vs' the ENB and end with a rousing rendition of 'Does the Nationality of its Dancers define a company'.

 

I'll attend, but I won't stand if they play God Save the Queen!  

[Ian Macmillan]

Willie:  I don't think you'll have a problem.  It must be at least 40 years since I last heard the National Anthem being played at the end of a performance over here.  It had been quite common, if not compulsory, in my early years in cinemas - and that was very often the signal for some to stand ..... and head for the Exits.

[alison]

I remember it being played at the panto at the local church, but not much beyond that ...

[Coated]

Wow, just wow. If your mobile goes off mid-performance, the last thing you ought to do is verbally abusing other audience members loudly.

 

This guys mobile goes off, and he starts moving towards the door right behind me in SCS. I assumed he had the decency to quickly pop out since he wasn't able to silence it immediately. The phone went off again and I mouth at 'Get out' when it looked like he was checking who the call was from.

 

So he shouts at me to Shut Up, using a rather loud voice. A glare would have been understandable, an apologetic shrug acceptable. I was completely gobsmacked and just tabbed my forehead, he continued shouting 'Don't tell me to get out'. Charming man.

 

I waited until the performance was over and pointed him out to an usher who was very sweet about it. The guy got a 'Thank you very much for being incredibly rude and ruining the end of the performance for me', of course he did not say anything and pretended to not be there.

 

I guess the only thing one can hope for from people like that is he might switch off his phone next time.

 

Thankfully it was towards the end of the otherwise surprisingly good Swan Lake, so he didn't ruin the whole last act for me.

 

Did I mention that the first act was enhanced by someone's personal stereo merrily playing along for about 20 minutes until they finally noticed it was them and switched it off?

[alison]

How charming.  We seem to have had a few reports of bad audience behaviour (and I mean bad, rather than just the usual run of inconsiderateness) over the last few weeks.

[SMballet]

I'm not sure whether to post this as a new topic (and if so, under which thread?), so I'll leave the link here, with a request to the mod.s to remove/repost as you see fit. It is a fascinating article in today's New York Times about claquers at the Bolshoi. Here's the link, and one para extracted

 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/18/arts/dance/designated-cheering-spectators-thrive-at-the-bolshoi-theater.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0&ref=global-home

 

"Mr. Abramov describes his work as a well-codified transaction: The claque provides artists with a guarantee of applause, and in return it receives free passes allocated to artists, usually two in the stalls and four to six passes to the circle or dress-circle. Because the modern-day claque represents multiple artists appearing in the same show, Mr. Abramov can often secure up to 28 seats in the theater on a given night, a remarkable fact given that tickets for a performance of “Swan Lake” sell for somewhere between $300 and $500."

[zxDaveM]

at the Proms last night, 5-6 12-13yo girls came and sat on my left - I feared the worst for giggles and chatter and texting. Wrong! Good as gold (easily forgive the occasional fidget as it was so hot in there!)

Then a family group of 5 sat on my right, 2 siblings in 20's with parents and one had a boyfriend/girlfriend (I didn't know the dynamic of who belonged to whom). Nightmare! One had a permanent sniff. Mumbling during quiet passages of Beethoven is just NOT on! Responded to shhh by stopping talking, but whipping out the smart phones, except for the dad, whose phone was buried in his coat pocket,. And we know this cos it rang. As the 2nd half about to start, the usher had to almost man-handle one to get her to switch off her iPad. My humour wasn't great at this point!

[alison]

Didn't know you were there last night, Dave.  Mind you, I had other distractions.

[zxDaveM]

I was in the back row of the Choir section  -  nice view, but heat rises.... phew!

 

Oh - also, even the 13yo girls were turning and glaring at the people on my right, so it wasn't just me being in the fusspot squad (in case anyone was thinking I was)

[patsomerset]

How charming.  We seem to have had a few reports of bad audience behaviour (and I mean bad, rather than just the usual run of inconsiderateness) over the last few weeks.

Reports on another forum that there was a fight in the lower slips at ROH one evening last week caused apparently by people leaning forward and blocking the view of others

[ENBlover]

Reports on another forum that there was a fight in the lower slips at ROH one evening last week caused apparently by people leaning forward and blocking the view of others

 

I'm shocked it doesn't happen more often to be honest.

[Farfallina]

This is an article about claqueurs at the Bolshoi,. Think it relates also to audience behaviour. We've seen the guy described in here run the Bolshoi floor and did not understand what he was doing there. That was back in 2008 and I still have not forgotten his face..

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/18/arts/dance/designated-cheering-spectators-thrive-at-the-bolshoi-theater.html?pagewanted=1&_r=0

[Aruna S]

I love that Maria Alexandrova (rightly!!!) felt she didn't need the claque's support. The description of the treatment Tsiskaridze received is simply disgraceful.

[MAB]

I feel the Moscow claque is far more sinister than this whitewash of an article.  I also applaud Alexandrova and Tsiskaridze for standing up to them, though in many ways an online campaign against Tsiskaridze has caused him even more grief in the long run, but I wonder if the two are connected.

 

Ratmansky always said that the crooks that operated around the theatre were the reason he left Moscow and certainly the touts have always been a prominent feature in the vicinity of the Bolshoi theatre.  An astonishing article about the claquers was published about twenty years ago and their methods were far more extreme back then than mere coughing fits, some refused to pay up and had their performances completely sabotaged and though I normally abhor violence I did enjoy reading that one of the Bolshoi principals gave a particularly nasty claquer the beating of his life. 

 

Personally I doubt if they have changed their methods and  I don't believe many dancers seek out their services as their activities are to do with intimidation.  I've seen them in action singling out the most execrable singer in a performance of Prince Igor for the bravos that she in no way deserved.  Here in the UK they would be facing criminal charges.

[alison]

Reports on another forum that there was a fight in the lower slips at ROH one evening last week caused apparently by people leaning forward and blocking the view of others

 

That was what I was referring to: and it got reported here too, I think.

[alison]

Here's a single-page link for those who don't like their articles interrupted : http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/18/arts/dance/designated-cheering-spectators-thrive-at-the-bolshoi-theater.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&&pagewanted=all

 

This article left a very unpleasant taste in my mouth.  If that's what MAB considers a "whitewash", I dread to think what the real situation is.  I shall keep an ear out for the claqueurs at the next live relay I go to - they have a really weird way of shouting/cheering, don't they?  (Perhaps I should change my rule of thumb that probably 50% of people who shout "bravo" "don't know what they're talking about" to "aren't doing it for the right reasons".)

 

This made me smile a little, though: "Experienced performers are seeking something very specific from the applause, Mr. Abramov said, like extra seconds to catch his or her breath between the end of an adagio and the beginning of a variation."  I suppose that, unlike professional tennis players, they can't really fiddle with their outfits, towel down, bounce the ball for an unnecessarily long time or use other delaying tactics to extend the time between points beyond what is legally allowed, now, can they?

[MAB]

The applause in Moscow tends to go on and on; I appreciate enthusiasm but it is excessive and very clear that it isn't general applause but only from a noisy section of the audience.  I remember seeing one dancer, Vetrov I think, making a motion to the audience to shut up.  They did: immediately.

[Farfallina]

Here's a single-page link for those who don't like their articles interrupted : http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/18/arts/dance/designated-cheering-spectators-thrive-at-the-bolshoi-theater.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&&pagewanted=all

 

This article left a very unpleasant taste in my mouth.  If that's what MAB considers a "whitewash", I dread to think what the real situation is.  I shall keep an ear out for the claqueurs at the next live relay I go to - they have a really weird way of shouting/cheering, don't they?  (Perhaps I should change my rule of thumb that probably 50% of people who shout "bravo" "don't know what they're talking about" to "aren't doing it for the right reasons".)

 

This made me smile a little, though: "Experienced performers are seeking something very specific from the applause, Mr. Abramov said, like extra seconds to catch his or her breath between the end of an adagio and the beginning of a variation."  I suppose that, unlike professional tennis players, they can't really fiddle with their outfits, towel down, bounce the ball for an unnecessarily long time or use other delaying tactics to extend the time between points beyond what is legally allowed, now, can they?

 

The guy is really easy to spot when you're there. He will walk in two people to the front rows - then after the break you don't see them again in the same spot, but he will walk in the next couple and when the curtain goes up while he is still walking out through the isle in the dark he will shout "bravo" along his way. Really odd and very obvious behaviour...

[billboyd]

But, why do they insist on clapping during the dancing - and drowning out the music?

[alison]

"Cultural differences", Bill

[Terpischore]

Apparently the claque phenomenon is strictly a Bolshoi one, as opposed to a general, Russian one.  I recently read a recent interview with Yevgenia Obraztsova, I believe it was one conducted by Laura Cappelle on the French ballet forum Dansomanie, in which Miss Obraztsova expressed surprise at the employment of claques at the Bolshoi.  She said at the Mariinsky a dancer gets the response he or she deserves based upon performances, and that if a dancer has an off performance then applause tend to reflect that.  Whereas Bolshoi audiences, which Obraztsova says has been kind to her, the presence of claques make themselves known.  She goes on to say on the record that she will not be employing the services of claques.  I find it interesting the differences between the two major Russian companies in this regard, and also the differing mindsets of dancers from both companies as far as tolerance goes.

[loveclassics]

Claques are not restricted to opera and ballet.  Russian figure skaters also used to have them and perhaps still do.  I don't go to the international events any more but I remember hearing the claques in full cry during World and European championships in the 70s.  Their organisation was positively spooky - more like noisy Cybermen than real people.  We supporters of the British team (this was when John Curry was competing) tried to make ourselves heard but judging by the volume of noise, some of the claquers had been trained as opera singers.  Or perhaps, on-course bookies or street vendors?   VERY VERY loud!

[MrsBBB]

I was at yesterday's Prom (Tchaik 3) in the Arena and had the joy of the guy standing next to me feeling up his female companion throughout the piece. Yuck! She was wearing a top made of some plastic fabric which made lots of noise from her companions constant attentions. Get a room or go to the Gallery ????

[alison]

Excuse me, we don't want that sort up there, either .  And we have enough noise problems of our own since they installed those new Dyson dryers in the loos.

 

Actually, I seem to remember the odd occasion a little worse than just "feeling-up"

[taxi4ballet]

And we have enough noise problems of our own since they installed those new Dyson dryers in the loos.

 

 

I used to belong to a drama group and during our performances in the local hall, the cast & crew couldn't use the backstage loos as they made such a racket when they were flushed...

[LinMM]

The person who invents a near silent hand dryer will get my vote for the Nobel prize!!! The noise is unbearable especially if more than one going at a time. I often resort to tissues rather than start one up!!

[Jan McNulty]

Oh Lin, that brings me to another moan - people who use tissues and then don't put them in the bins.  There is nothing worse than trying to unclog a sink before it overflows when it is full of soggy paper towels!!!

[LinMM]

Well I do put mine in the bins at least!!