Gina Posted August 4, 2018 Share Posted August 4, 2018 Hi :) I'd like to know if you too try to share your passion for Ballet (or any other thing) as much as possible? And how? I have some t-shirts or my phone case with Ballerinas on it and usually is good to start a discussion around this topic. I can spend hours talking about Ballet or how i love dancing and so on.. So what about you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted August 4, 2018 Share Posted August 4, 2018 Hi Gina and welcome to the Forum! This forum is a great way of sharing our passion for ballet. Social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter too. Talking to people at performances is good as well. I've got a T-shirt my niece gave me for my birthday a few years ago but no-one ever comments on it! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted August 4, 2018 Share Posted August 4, 2018 There are a number of 'clubs' where people can mix with others who love dance. I don't know where you are based, Gina, but, if you can get into London, there are two which might interest you: The Ballet Association, which supports the Royal Ballet, the Birmingham Royal Ballet and the Royal Ballet School, has regular guest speakers from both companies and the school: http://www.balletassociation.co.uk/ The London Ballet Circle is for people interested in dance (not just ballet). It, too, has meetings where there are conversations with dancers and others from the world of dance: http://www.tlbc.org.uk It doesn't cost much to join and both organisations offer visits to ballet schools and social events as well as the informal talks. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Springbourne3 Posted August 4, 2018 Share Posted August 4, 2018 I used to have a t shirt too - which I bought from the ROH years ago when I was a dance student - it had Margot Fonteyn as ‘Ondine’ on it and I literally wore until it fell to bits! I had quite a few comments on it and so was a way to share some of my ballet passion. I also taught dance for years and that was a great way to share and nurture ballet passion! 💕 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Allen Posted August 4, 2018 Share Posted August 4, 2018 T-shirts are good, as are badges - BUT - it's best not to be too obvious. I think just to have a badge or t-shirt just with the name of a ballet or ballet company is a bit boring and I'm not sure if they really work in getting other people interested. If you can find something which is not obvious and, perhaps, a bit of a puzzle, you'll get more attention from other people with questions asked which gives you the chance to get a conversation started with the chance of converting someone to ballet. An example was many years ago New York City Ballet put on a festival of ballets all to music from American composers. The company produced t-shirts with the names of all the composers one after another running all across the t-shirt and spelled out in a different colour the words of City Ballet and American Music Festival from those letters in the names of the composers, I noticed several times , as I was sitting on a bus or a subway, other people trying to read my chest. On at least a couple of occasions people stopped me so that they could finish reading me! If you can find some of the more unusual t-shirts or badges, it can really work. Otherwise, at the risk of being thought boring, bang on frequently in conversation and assume everyone is as interested in ballet as you are! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toursenlair Posted August 4, 2018 Share Posted August 4, 2018 I don't wish to speak for all of the women on the forum, but personally I find people staring at my chest a bit.... offputting. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted August 4, 2018 Share Posted August 4, 2018 I keep my ballet tee shirts as warm ups when I have class when it’s cold. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted August 4, 2018 Share Posted August 4, 2018 The live cinema performances have been a godsend in getting people to see a ballet for the first time - of course it's not the same as a live performance, but has so much going for it with the mini documentaries, the familiarity of the environment in which you watch the performance and the relatively low cost. I have introduced several friends in this way and they have left wanting more. Would that those responsible for public service broadcasting were prepared to provide more opportunities for people to see full length works on our mainstream channels. I genuinely believe that the combination of dancers demonstrating a fantastic technique, productions that are stimulating in their interpretation of themes and settings and choreography that can move you to tears can generate a significant, audience if only sufficient time and care were to be given over to regular programming of this most inspiring medium of performance art. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard LH Posted August 4, 2018 Share Posted August 4, 2018 The cinema is what got me back into ballet and thence to live performances....🙂 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capybara Posted August 4, 2018 Share Posted August 4, 2018 16 minutes ago, Richard LH said: The cinema is what got me back into ballet and thence to live performances....🙂 That's fantastic, Richard. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted August 4, 2018 Share Posted August 4, 2018 I am passionate about Dance and ballet in particular but probably the only thing that would give this away in general life ( I'm even the opposite of a bun head) is my bus pass which is in a Rambert wallet thingy. I suppose if you opened my purse you would see quite a few membership cards there.....which reminds me my ENB one expired at the beginning of August!! Better get on the phone on Monday! Being a Friend of any Company opens you up to events like masterclasses and rehearsals and interviews with dancers as well and a chance to meet like minded people if you wanted to. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeane dussart Posted August 5, 2018 Share Posted August 5, 2018 For me is simple, i have a beautiful wallet case like this one so everybody can see it and it always start a discussion around ballet Then i met, here in France a lot of groups to share our passion. I use facebook groups and forums like this one. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted August 5, 2018 Share Posted August 5, 2018 Hello Jeane and welcome to the Forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeane dussart Posted August 5, 2018 Share Posted August 5, 2018 Thank You Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gina Posted August 5, 2018 Author Share Posted August 5, 2018 Woaw Thank You all for those answers ! Capybara, i'm from Tampere Finland, here we are a little group of Ballet Lovers and we hang out time to time to talk. I'm active on different facebook groups and some watsapp too. I'll try to find more associations or groups around my town but thanks to internet and social network is easier to share ou passion. Thanks all for your time and keep spreading our love for ballet 😍 Jeane your case is so beautiful, i Love It !! 😍 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted August 5, 2018 Share Posted August 5, 2018 I had ballet pics as a changing (every 10mins) wallpaper on my dual screens at work. I usually worked on one screen and had the other as a 'cheer-me-up'. Quite a few people asked me about them 🙂 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George C Posted August 5, 2018 Share Posted August 5, 2018 A few years ago a couple of female friends that go to the gym at the same time as me started asking me why I went to the ballet so often and why I loved it so much.As they have backgrounds that give them no knowledge of Birmingham Hippodrome, travel arrangements and booking etc. I decided to treat them to the Nutcracker as birthday presents. I was amazed, humbled and totally delighted ar their reaction..They so wanted to go again, told their friends and became addicted. There are now five, sometimes six ladies who come with me regularly and the original two have just bought their first BRB subscription package for next season. For me, watching their delight at every new discovery as been an emotional journey for me. It has been almost like rediscovering my own amazement at the amount of sheer joy I get from watching dance.For them each new ballet is ‘ the best yet ‘ , although Nutcracker will always be top of the list being their introduction to ballet. i am sorry if this contribution is maudlin and self indulgent but as this thread is entitled ‘Sharing our passion’ I feel that it is not entirely inappropriate. 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted August 5, 2018 Share Posted August 5, 2018 19 minutes ago, George C said: A few years ago a couple of female friends that go to the gym at the same time as me started asking me why I went to the ballet so often and why I loved it so much.As they have backgrounds that give them no knowledge of Birmingham Hippodrome, travel arrangements and booking etc. I decided to treat them to the Nutcracker as birthday presents. I was amazed, humbled and totally delighted ar their reaction..They so wanted to go again, told their friends and became addicted. There are now five, sometimes six ladies who come with me regularly and the original two have just bought their first BRB subscription package for next season. For me, watching their delight at every new discovery as been an emotional journey for me. It has been almost like rediscovering my own amazement at the amount of sheer joy I get from watching dance.For them each new ballet is ‘ the best yet ‘ , although Nutcracker will always be top of the list being their introduction to ballet. i am sorry if this contribution is maudlin and self indulgent but as this thread is entitled ‘Sharing our passion’ I feel that it is not entirely inappropriate. not maudlin at all - great story, and thanks for sharing (with us - and them!) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted August 5, 2018 Share Posted August 5, 2018 Sharing our passion with like-minded individuals is of course a very different thing from preaching to the unconverted, so to speak I find it an uphill struggle actually persuading people to go to the ballet, even when the interest is there, but perhaps that's just my friends, several of whom have a lot of commitments. I remember recommending a mixed bill - can't remember what now - to my friend after she'd said she really must take her husband to the ballet. Despite repeated reminders throughout the course of the year, they never got around to it! So, last season, when The Dream/Symphonic Variations/Marguerite and Armand came on I tried again, because I thought it was ideal for them. Notified them as soon as the season announcement came out so they could fit it in their diaries, reminded them partway through the year, sent them a reminder prior to public booking (you know, because I'm perfectly happy to sit with them if they get off the mark reasonably quickly!), with advice to book fast since it was likely to sell quickly ... I think eventually I managed to get them a couple of Friday Rush tickets or they'd never have made it! Husband loved it. So now I'm taking her at her word, because when she went to see La Fille Mal Gardée with me (sort of) she said he'd love it, so I've given her the flyer for BRB at Sadler's Wells, and we'll wait and see, but I won't hold my breath! Apart from that, I suppose if I wore/carried some more obviously ballet-related things I might strike up more conversations with complete strangers ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trog Posted August 6, 2018 Share Posted August 6, 2018 On 05/08/2018 at 08:09, zxDaveM said: I had ballet pics as a changing (every 10mins) wallpaper on my dual screens at work. I usually worked on one screen and had the other as a 'cheer-me-up'. Quite a few people asked me about them 🙂 I have a ballet calendar at work on the wall; at home it's Marilyn Monroe. On the three computers on my desk, I have wallpapers of Elisa Willis in The Firebird, Maria Tallchief in Swan Lake and Gelsey Kirkland in The Nutcracker. The last two, just because they are great pictures. When I install a computer, I setup the wallpaper and it stays there until I have to reinstall or get a new computer. We're supposed to have the college crest as our wallpaper, but being systems admin has certain perks... I also drop the phrase "ballet class tonight" and "off to the ballet this weekend" into conversations quite regularly. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Springbourne3 Posted August 6, 2018 Share Posted August 6, 2018 When I had my dance school I also started adult ballet classes - mainly for beginners and those who had attended ballet classes in the past. As the classes grew they became quite a ‘ballet social event’ as we would all meet up for dinner before going to watch a ballet performance or live cinema screening. Some adult pupils even entered for ballet examinations and their new found passion for ballet encouraged friends/family/colleagues to also become interested in ballet. I even had a few rugby players who ‘had a go’ at some ballet classes to help with their rugby skills and became completely hooked on the art as a result. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Springbourne3 Posted August 6, 2018 Share Posted August 6, 2018 On 04/08/2018 at 17:41, toursenlair said: I don't wish to speak for all of the women on the forum, but personally I find people staring at my chest a bit.... offputting. I understand what you mean - so perhaps I should add that my old and very baggy Ondine t-shirt was great for a pre-class warm up and then for after class - the image of Fonteyn in black and white was very eye-catching. There was a small collection of t-shirts that were sold at the ROH in the 80s with beautiful photographic images of RB dancers 😃 I found the photo in question taken by Roger Wood...so beautiful 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeane dussart Posted August 8, 2018 Share Posted August 8, 2018 On 06/08/2018 at 14:17, Springbourne3 said: I understand what you mean - so perhaps I should add that my old and very baggy Ondine t-shirt was great for a pre-class warm up and then for after class - the image of Fonteyn in black and white was very eye-catching. There was a small collection of t-shirts that were sold at the ROH in the 80s with beautiful photographic images of RB dancers 😃 I found the photo in question taken by Roger Wood...so beautiful Oh WoW i'd love a t-shirt like that 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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