Light of Passage - new Crystal Pite ballet

[Emeralds]

Truly sticking to the brief, this is purely a bit of information. The new Crystal Pite ballet premiering this month has now been named Light of Passage, but if you currently try to search for the ballet to book using the search facility to look for the key words Pite (which previously worked), or Light, or to link it from her biography, you’ll  come up with either “Technical Error” or not get any links to the ballet at all!  I presume this is a temporary glitch due to the change of title from “New Pite” to “Light of Passage” and should hopefully be fixed next week.

 

If you are booking tickets, fear not - you can still get to the page via Calendar (it premieres on 18 Oct) or via  What’s On, which is now not too far to scroll down since it’s just 16 days away.

 

The running times have now been listed as Flight Pattern in the first half (30mins), 25 minute interval, followed by a part 2 (10minutes), and a part 3 (20minutes). Of course, things could change right up to the premiere if improvements and/or inspiration occur during the final stages of rehearsals. 😊 The guidance notes indicate themes of displacement and trauma, stylised depictions of infant loss, suitable for audiences above 8 years old (not too different from Flight Pattern). 

 

Currently no dancer casting yet, but the conductor will be Greek born Zoi Tsokanou, who trained in Zurich and has conducted the Tonhalle and Bamberg orchestras and at the Lucerne Festival, as well as operas in Athens, Britain and  Switzerland. She will be making her Royal Opera House debut with this ballet. 

 

Very interesting piece to look forward to, and my friends coming along have quipped that the early finish means an easier time catching trains and buses home. 😄

[MAX]

Very very short evening !

 

And very expensive if you buy a 105 pounds ticket...

 

I think (and I absolutely love Crystal Pite) this kind of show should be scheduled at Sadler's Wells.

[Lizbie1]

I don't mind a short evening - I usually see it as a win - but it's not great value for money at those prices.

 

(I wasn't enamoured of Flight Pattern so won't be going.)

[alison]

I think I've managed to schedule something else on the same day to make it worth travelling up there.

[Laura_ballet]

My daughter is dancing in the 2nd part, I can’t wait to watch !! 

[MJW]

1 hour ago, Lizbie1 said:

I don't mind a short evening - I usually see it as a win - but it's not great value for money at those prices.

 

(I wasn't enamoured of Flight Pattern so won't be going.)

 

For similar reasons, that's why I have booked for the rehearsal on Tuesday 17th (£20 ticket for a decent seat)

[bridiem]

Why could it not be programmed with a one-act work so it constitutes a full evening? (Is the interval essential?). The prices are only slightly lower than for Woolf Works, which is a full evening. ??

 

Edited October 2, 2022 by bridiem
Amended post.

[MAX]

Yes bridiem,  when you think it will approximately be the same length as Dances at gathering....

[zxDaveM]

2 hours ago, MAX said:

 

I think (and I absolutely love Crystal Pite) this kind of show should be scheduled at Sadler's Wells.

 

except the RB don't dance at Sadlers Wells now....

[MAX]

yes I know, that's why I used the conditional.

 

Edited October 2, 2022 by MAX

[The Sitter In]

Is anyone surprised that this programme is selling extremely poorly?  An evening with no title (until recently) by a choreographer who is not a household ballet name which turns out to be VERY short for a full-length (long gone are the days of preceding a shorter ‘full length’ with a one-act) but at prices guaranteed not to encourage the curious to ‘take a chance’.  More evidence that the  RB’s artistic policy is shot to pieces coupled with a greedy box office.  When will the ROH understand that it is simply charging too much?  Opera casts now rarely feature big international names (either on stage and in the pit) and the ballet company, nice as it is, lacks star dancers (it has two and a half, maybe three) and is presenting one of the dullest seasons in memory.  Thoroughly depressing given the stunning repertoire it steadfastly refuses to show.

[The Sitter In]

Sat mat on 22/10 is about 30% sold…

[Guest oncnp]

15 minutes ago, The Sitter In said:

.........and the ballet company, nice as it is, lacks star dancers (it has two and a half, maybe three) and is presenting one of the dullest seasons in memory.  

 

Sincerely not picking a fight, just curious. What is your definition of "star dancer"? Who would you consider the 2.5?

[Jan McNulty]

2 minutes ago, oncnp said:

 

Sincerely not picking a fight, just curious. What is your definition of "star dancer"? Who would you consider the 2.5?

 

I was wondering the same.  Is a star dancer a dancer famous out of ballet circles or internationally renowned or someone who is a star to an individual?

 

 

[zxDaveM]

I've yet to see the half-a-dancer perform - are they split length-ways or straight across the tummy? If the latter, is it the legs or arms we see?

[capybara]

I was moved by Flight Pattern but I’m not sure about more of the same, especially without an antidote.

But didn’t someone say on here that Crystal Pite didn’t want a work by someone else set alongside hers?

@The Sitter In makes some very valid points about the RB rep. and pricing, in my view.

[The Sitter In]

Re. the ‘half a star dancer’, I shall remain silent, given it is purely my personal view and I do not wish to offend anyone.  I have been asked for the definition of ‘star’, however I believe the qualities that make a ‘star’ artist cannot be easily pinned down.

[bridiem]

26 minutes ago, capybara said:

But didn’t someone say on here that Crystal Pite didn’t want a work by someone else set alongside hers?

 

No-one should be able to make such a stipulation (if it's the case). If you're not producing a full-length work it's up to the AD as to what else is on the programme.

[Jan McNulty]

2 minutes ago, bridiem said:

 

No-one should be able to make such a stipulation (if it's the case). If you're not producing a full-length work it's up to the AD as to what else is on the programme.

 

I agree!  Perhaps they could have used another of her works already created (perhaps from another company) to make it a full evening.

 

I would like to have seen this but I'm not risking an overnight trip from Liverpool (or even a day trip) to pay a fortune for an hour of dance.

[Sim]

3 minutes ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

I agree!  Perhaps they could have used another of her works already created (perhaps from another company) to make it a full evening.

 

I would like to have seen this but I'm not risking an overnight trip from Liverpool (or even a day trip) to pay a fortune for an hour of dance.

And I am not risking a half hour trip to Covent Garden for the same reason!  Had there been another short ballet with it then I would have gone along.  If it’s true that the choreographer didn’t want another piece alongside hers, it looks as if she might have scored an own goal, judging from the current ticket sales.  

[bridiem]

5 minutes ago, Sim said:

And I am not risking a half hour trip to Covent Garden for the same reason!  Had there been another short ballet with it then I would have gone along.  If it’s true that the choreographer didn’t want another piece alongside hers, it looks as if she might have scored an own goal, judging from the current ticket sales.  

 

Same here. Besides which I loved Flight Pattern and think it should have been left well alone.

[capybara]

1 minute ago, bridiem said:

No-one should be able to make such a stipulation (if it's the case). If you're not producing a full-length work it's up to the AD as to what else is on the programme.

I agree, and this example might be a rumour. But the most sought after choreographers do make stipulations in all kinds of ways - eg lengthy rehearsal periods without any other works being rehearsed simultaneously. So it appears that some  can and do dictate terms (and not just at the RB). It would take a very brave AD to stand firm and not be able to sign them.

 

It could be, of course, that Mayerling and Light of Passage together have made such demands on the Company that it wasn’t possible to accommodate another work alongside the Pite. 

[Lizbie1]

3 minutes ago, capybara said:

It could be, of course, that Mayerling and Light of Passage together have made such demands on the Company that it wasn’t possible to accommodate another work alongside the Pite. 

 

Seems unlikely to me!

[bridiem]

1 minute ago, capybara said:

I agree, and this example might be a rumour. But the most sought after choreographers do make stipulations in all kinds of ways - eg lengthy rehearsal periods without any other works being rehearsed simultaneously. So it appears that some  can and do dictate terms (and not just at the RB). It would take a very brave AD to stand firm and not be able to sign them.

 

It could be, of course, that Mayerling and Light of Passage together have made such demands on the Company that it wasn’t possible to accommodate another work alongside the Pite. 

 

I think that in terms of what happens behind the scenes, it's up to the AD to judge what is or isn't tolerable. But in terms of what the audience sees, they really can't let a choreographer dictate programming. That's a step too far.

 

And given that most of  the company is extremely familiar with both Mayerling and Flight Pattern, I wouldn't have thought that adding a one-act would have been unsustainable.

[The Sitter In]

“It could be, of course, that Mayerling and Light of Passage together have made such demands on the Company that it wasn’t possible to accommodate another work alongside the Pite. “

 

Well, given all the unused principal dancers in the Mayerling castings, I suspect they could have squeezed something in…why not the promised then cancelled Monotones I and II?  Where there’s a will…. 

 

[capybara]

10 minutes ago, The Sitter In said:

 

 

Well, given all the unused principal dancers in the Mayerling castings, I suspect they could have squeezed something in…why not the promised then cancelled Monotones I and II?  Where there’s a will…. 

 

Many (?most) of the ‘unused Principals’ will, I think, turn up as Hungarian Officers 🤞

[Emeralds]

2 hours ago, The Sitter In said:

Is anyone surprised that this programme is selling extremely poorly?  An evening with no title (until recently) by a choreographer who is not a household ballet name which turns out to be VERY short for a full-length (long gone are the days of preceding a shorter ‘full length’ with a one-act) but at prices guaranteed not to encourage the curious to ‘take a chance’.  More evidence that the  RB’s artistic policy is shot to pieces coupled with a greedy box office.  When will the ROH understand that it is simply charging too much?  Opera casts now rarely feature big international names (either on stage and in the pit) and the ballet company, nice as it is, lacks star dancers (it has two and a half, maybe three) and is presenting one of the dullest seasons in memory.  Thoroughly depressing given the stunning repertoire it steadfastly refuses to show.

I’m genuinely intrigued as to how you can have half a star. Either they’re a star or they are not?  Is it just the dancer’s face, shoulders (epaulement) and arms? Or the legs? 😂 It’s fair enough to have exacting standards but if the dancer can’t be a star in all his or her roles, or in all aspects of the dancing, then they’re by definition surely not in one’s opinion a star. If it’s a student, child or character artist, they most definitely can be a star, although admittedly rare for a student and even rarer for a child. 

 

I do agree some of the ROH prices are extremely high this season-although Light of Passage is not the highest and actually quite good value in the seats we have compared to some other ballets and operas. I remember one opera having tickets of about £330 which meant that for the actual performing time (not including intervals) it was costing £2.20 per minute....including the non-singing moments. For this ballet, £1.75 per minute is still cheaper. And incredibly there are actually pop concerts, musicals, rock concerts (more dress down and no sets or corps de ballet!) out there that cost way more than either the £330 opera or this ballet.

 

Ugh, please, definitely NOT Monotones I & II to accompany this work, no matter how much I admire Monotones II (especially with Arestis, Nunez, or Hamilton dancing the lead female role). It will definitely have the feeling that the Ashton should not be there. We’re only guessing at what the new sections will look like of course, and the running times are only an estimate- the final result might be longer. And not having seen it, the production could well be so intense that you really don’t want anything else that clashes with or overloads the experience. 

[Emeralds]

2 hours ago, bridiem said:

 

Same here. Besides which I loved Flight Pattern and think it should have been left well alone.

I felt the same about Anemoi cf Scherzo- I thought the shorter ballet had more power, the original costumes suited the choreography better, the ballet made its impact more in the shorter version, whereas its charm and inventiveness got diluted out a bit in the longer ballet. That said, it’s  possible that some of the rough edges I saw were due to cast illness and changes affecting the creation period, and future performances/revivals might be more polished (still prefer the original costumes used for Scherzo though!) Both ballets were still worth seeing -especially Jun and Ikarashi in those jumps, and Dias in her solo! 

 

My guess is that Pite didn’t stipulate anything but thought she would be delivering a longer piece, perhaps performed in silence as well as using the symphony, then eventually decided that what they had was enough and didn’t want “padding”. (This is all just a guess - she hasn’t released anything official.)  If the piece is very good and very intense/complex/both , I’d rather see a short work and to leave early than to add another 20 or 30 minutes that is just padding. I liked the first programme that Flight Pattern was on, but not the combination of ballets in its second run. On the plus side, at least the first night audience aren’t likely to finish late, like premieres often end up doing!

 

2 hours ago, Jan McNulty said:

 

I agree!  Perhaps they could have used another of her works already created (perhaps from another company) to make it a full evening.

 

I would like to have seen this but I'm not risking an overnight trip from Liverpool (or even a day trip) to pay a fortune for an hour of dance.

I think anyone who would have to make a long trip, especially if it includes hotel stay,  to see any new work might be better off waiting to see what the initial reviews, photos and feedback reveal, before committing time and money, while keeping an eye on whether good tickets are still available for later performances in the run (probably not a problem for this work). 

Edited October 4, 2022 by Emeralds

[alison]

Trouble is that rail tickets have to be booked weeks, if not months, in advance.

[Emeralds]

Good point, Alison. Hmm, maybe one would have to schedule another activity eg lunch with friends, or a museum visit, like you often say you do, to “insure” against disappointment, and not buy a ticket that’s too pricey.

 

Actually, I’m sure some of the £105 seats for the initial performances will turn up on TKTS or other discounted ticket websites on the day of/before the performance, and there might be good discounts available! 

[Lizbie1]

26 minutes ago, Emeralds said:

I think anyone who would have to make a long trip, especially if it includes hotel stay,  to see any new work might be better off waiting to see what the initial reviews, photos and feedback reveal, before committing time and money, while keeping an eye on whether good tickets are still available for later performances in the run (probably not a problem for this work). 

 

I'd go one further: as booking hotels and transport well in advance saves a lot of money, I leave anything I'm on the fence about for the inevitable second run.

[San Perregrino]

1 hour ago, Emeralds said:

Good point, Alison. Hmm, maybe one would have to schedule another activity eg lunch with friends, or a museum visit, like you often say you do, to “insure” against disappointment, and not buy a ticket that’s too pricey.

 

Actually, I’m sure some of the £105 seats for the initial performances will turn up on TKTS or other discounted ticket websites on the day of/before the performance, and there might be good discounts available! 

I have yet to see any ROH production on TKTS or other discounted ticket website. Time Out had a few offers last season. 
I don’t know how it does it but the ROH is generally very good at getting bums on seats by the time the curtain goes up.

Edited October 4, 2022 by PeterS

[Emeralds]

2 hours ago, Lizbie1 said:

 

I'd go one further: as booking hotels and transport well in advance saves a lot of money, I leave anything I'm on the fence about for the inevitable second run.

I’m sadly still waiting, 4 years later, for the inevitable second run of Yugen! (Before people hoot with laughter, you have to admit that if danced in practice leotards and skirts like Balanchine’s Serenade or Duo Concertant, and removed the set, the choreography was really very beautiful. McGregor being unusually classical and lyrical!)

 

1 hour ago, PeterS said:

I have yet to see any ROH production on TKTS or other discounted ticket website. Time Out had a few offers last season. 
I don’t know how it does it but the ROH is generally very good at getting bums on seats by the time the curtain goes up.

Long time ago I saw them offering a few mixed bills on discount websites. Nowadays you get them in person at the box office.  But if you ring in advance to ask about them, they’ll say everything is at full price. It’s like the half price dumplings and sushi at Itsu- you can only get them at the last moment. 😃😁 I know professional ballet students and dancers from certain schools/companies can get complimentary tickets in the Amphi if there are lots of empty seats....provided the dancers themselves aren’t performing with their own company that night/day, of course. 

Edited October 4, 2022 by Emeralds