BBC Radio5Live - Interview with RB Principal Yasmine Naghdi & First Soloist Melissa Hamilton

[Nina G.]

The interview starts at about 1:51 into the programme

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09qd8b2

[Odyssey]

Thank you Nina G - both women came across well. Good to hear ballet being included in mainstream programmes. The interview questions were sensible with opportunities for both dancers to provide detailed responses.

[FLOSS]

Thank you for bringing this to my, and other's attention but don't you find it somewhat dispiriting that of the two listener's comments one took the time to ask why the station was wasting its time on ballet dancers as "no one goes to the ballet" adding the comment that the station will be doing something about gymkhanas next? It reinforces the idea that for so many, if not most people, who pay taxes to support the arts that ballet is not something in which real people,meaning people like them, are interested because no one they know is. I doubt that anyone would have made that sort of comment if it had been a couple of women stonemasons who had been interviewed for the programme. It simply underlines the fact that for all the outreach work undertaken by ballet companies and the streamed performances given by the RB, ballet is now seen by the bulk of the population as something in which ordinary people  are not interested and as irrelevant to them as gymkhanas because of the cost. After the war there was a big popular following for ballet because so many people had been exposed to it as accessible entertainment during the war. This contry's ballet establishment is not doing a good enough job in making the art form available to the public at large. The odd programme presented by Bussell or Rojo is not enough to create converts to the art form and then maintain interest in it.

 

I do not understand why the 2016 documentary about staging the Nutcracker at Covent Garden was not followed up when  it was repeated this year by a screening of one of the many annual performances of Nutcracker which have been streamed into cinemas in recent years. I can't help thinking that Kevin could do a lot more with the company's streamed performances than he in fact does. I suspect that the new Swan Lake will, if it is reasonably good, be streamed into cinemas with almost as much regularity as the company's Nutcracker now is. What is to stop Kevin offering the occasional streamed performance from time to time for subsequent televising or, even better, allowing the BBC to bring its cameras into the House to film the occasional performance ? I bet that the results would be better lit and less obsessed by unnecessary close ups than the streamed performances tend to be.

 

 2019 is fast approaching. If the problem is thought to be lack of recognition of dancers apart from Nunez by the general public then Kevin can fall back on the Fonteyn centenary as a starting point for resuming televised performances. I hope that we shall see a lot of repertory associated with Fonteyn staged during 2019 including major Diaghilev repertory which is associated with her such as Firebird and Le Tricorne which was premiered in London in 1919 as well as Ashton repertory with which she is asociated such as Daphnis and Chloe, A Wedding Bouquet, Sylvia and Cinderella. If Kevin were to permit the Beeb to televise a Fonteyn based gala of one act works with which she is associated and that were to be followed  up with at least one annual televised performance by one of the country's major companies it would increase the art form's exposure to the general public. I don't think these televised performances should be the exclusive preserve of the RB. I,for one, should love to see more of Scottish Ballet's Darrell repertory such as his Tales of Hoffmann, his Nutcracker and Swan Lake and his Shakespeare themed one act Such Sweet Thunder and that is just a beginning.

Edited February 6, 2018 by FLOSS

[JohnS]

Thank you Floss and I agree with much of what you say.   But I wonder if the issue lies with the BBC rather than the ROH?  I'd hoped Tony Hall would have made a difference but I think we're very much waiting to see the results of the ROH and BBC being partners.  Yes there are occasional documentaries and some of the ROH filmed performances are broadcast but there has not been any live BBC broadcast for years - Darcey Bussell's farewell performance?  As partners would it be unreasonable for there to be a live performance broadcast every season?

[Nina G.]

To be fair Floss, the first comment read out by Emma Barnett came from a man calling himself an "ordinary working class bloke who was introduced to ballet years ago by his Martial arts teacher" and said he absolutely loved the ballet.

 

 

[alison]

Yes, I too am waiting to see the expected benefits from Tony Hall being DG or whatever the title is these days.  I realise he probably has his hands full with other things at the moment, but the "partnership" doesn't as yet appear to have manifested itself in anything more than the usual run of broadcasts.  What *is* wrong with screening a Nutcracker or two?  The ROH can't surely be holding them all back for commercial release?

 

And the point about Scottish Ballet is very fairly made, too.  If you're going to broadcast stuff straight to iPlayer, at least have the decency to TELL people about it!  I was on there only the other day and found that their Rite of Spring was about to run out: I thought the date had been mid-January, so hadn't even made any attempt to try and continue viewing it.

[Mary]

It is a bit disappointing at times, I must agree that our companies seem not always to quite grasp what is needed to present ballet in the modern world..

It was really bizarre that no Nutcracker was shown at Xmas.

 

At the time a few years ago when  a very high profile dancer left RB amid a flurry of really negative publicity, about the madness of the ballet world,  Steven McRae's online posts started to really increase, with a focus on 'positivity' -sometimes a little relentlessly upbeat perhaps! - but he does present an image of the dancer which is modern and very positive and lively. He portrays ballet life as very dedicated and inspiring, but also with a down-to-earth approach which avoids all the cliches about neurotics and prima donnas, which I think is very refreshing.

On R3 this morning he talked about getting fan mail, and visits backstage, from younger people completely new to ballet, attracted by his posts. This use of social media must be important, and I know other dancers are really good at it like the charming Gary Avis- but perhaps the younger ones are the best hope  in attracting young people. Not for the first time I wonder whether the almost universal use of Ms Bussell to present ballet is the best idea- maybe let some of the younger ones have a bigger role. Alexander Campbell springs to mind, after his role in World Ballet Day.

(No need to use footballers........)

[Nina G.]

Did the RB Press Office tweet to their followers that the Radio5 interview was going to be broadcast? Did they post it on IG?

 

I think it is the age group of the younger RB dancers (and ENB,NB,BRB,SB) between the age of 20 to 25 who should be involved in Social Media interaction with the youngsters out there and help break the barrier (ballet by many is still perceived as elitist, unknown to many what it is all about, although much progress has been made in recent years). As Yasmine Naghdi explained: "ballet classes/training assist in getting rid of excess energy in children, helps them to focus, it teaches them much needed self-discipline and the drive to succeed, it builds mental strength, and to not be afraid of being (nicely) ambitieus in order to achieve ones dream. 

[aileen]

I think that the BBC has become a very cowed organisation after relentless attacks by certain politicians and newspapers. Many of us hoped that Tony Hall's appointment would lead to more ballet and dance bring shown on the BBC channels. One gets the impression that the BBC is terrified of appearing elitist and, as ballet is seen as an elitist art form which only appeals to a tiny minority of wealthy people,  the result is a measly output of one of two programmes around Christmas. The BBC has hours to fill. Is it too much to ask for one or two programmes a month devoted to ballet and dance (and Strictly doesn't count)?

[capybara]

 

I think that it's a brilliant idea for the RB's Press Office to enlist the help of young dancers.

 

I seem to get some fun stuff coming through automatically as a result of 'following'  the likes of Yasmine Naghdi, Beatriz Stix-Brunell, Anna-Rose O'Sullivan and  Marcelino Sambe on Instagram. 

 

 

[GailR]

I think the cinema screenings are now too expensive to attract novice audiences. I used to go to all the screenings including theatre, but now I am much more selective when it comes to spending around £20 on a seat.  Would it be possible to occasionally have a heavily subsidised screening of Nutcracker, Swan Lake or Fille (and advertise widely) and encourage school outings ?

[Mary]

I suppose the problem is, who is going to subsidise it...

[alison]

6 hours ago, Nina G. said:

Did the RB Press Office tweet to their followers that the Radio5 interview was going to be broadcast? Did they post it on IG?

 

Did anyone at the ROH tell anyone about it?  If we on here only hear about it after the event then what's the point?  I know we have iPlayer now, and that seems to have spawned the idea that it doesn't matter if people don't hear about it at the time because they can just catch up with it later, but even so ...

[Odyssey]

It is the same with the world ballet day streaming - such a wonderful initiative, but there's little or no advertising to alert the public. Would it be asking too much to have a ballet broadcast on terrestrial tv on world ballet day?  

[Sim]

8 hours ago, capybara said:

 

I think that it's a brilliant idea for the RB's Press Office to enlist the help of young dancers.

 

I seem to get some fun stuff coming through automatically as a result of 'following'  the likes of Yasmine Naghdi, Beatriz Stix-Brunell, Anna-Rose O'Sullivan and  Marcelino Sambe on Instagram. 

 

 

Beatriz is particularly hilarious on Instagram;  she makes me smile every day!

[Sharon]

So many good points raised. I have a little list of  13 full length ballets and 2 evenings of triple bills performed by various companies that were televised just in the late 70's. And 1980 was an incredible year from Wall/Thorogood in Voluntaries, ending with SWRB in Coppelia but in-between we saw LFB, SB, Martha Graham, B 20th C, NDT, DTW, ABT. No wonder so many people - and kids like me - got hooked on ballet and dance. There was always a wide variety not just the RB.

Companies are always trying to raise money and they're profile, they should therefore use they're greatest assets, the young dancers with social media as previously mentioned.

As to TV apart from writing to them to ask, demand, that they show more dance I don't know. But if whoever decides/plans what is shown now, had a look back on the amount and variety that was once televised - in the 'old days', they should hang their head in shame in comparison to what they show now.