So what do WE think?

[capybara]

Within the Arts and Books section of today’s Sunday Telegraph, 10 critics offer their views as to how various aspects of the UK’s cultural scene could be improved. 
The dance reviewer Mark Monahan writes as follows:

 

“With the lockdown now behind them, Britain’s leading ballet companies need to remember, consider and (re-) define who they are and what they do. 

Both geographically and artistically, Scottish Ballet and Northern Ballet are already “there”.   
 

But what distinguishes those two larger touring companies, Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Ballet?

 

And does The Royal Ballet want to be “just” a glossy, world-class company with the world’s finest dramatic repertory - or the one also equipped with the most uniquely refined, expressive and affecting style of delivering it? The latter is woven into the company’s history, but only across-the-board diligence and discipline will prevent it from fading.”

 

It will be really interesting to know where BCF members stand on these issues.

 

 

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/culture-new-years-resolutions/

 

 

[zxDaveM]

Tough one.

Hard on the 'big' touring companies: when they do introduce "interesting rep" in far flung places - seems no one bar ultra-hard core ballet fans show up. Except for the Tchaikovskys and maybe R&J (or some well know story outside the ballet world, eg Cinderella) ballet remains a hard sell it seems.

London has a huge catchment area for fans - especially as fans will travel for an hour or more to GET to London - so has potential for audiences no matter how 'obscure' the work is. So most companies in London, or visit London, do OK it would seem. But this hardly fair on all the fans out of travel range of London (without having to stay over)

BRB's tie in with Black Sabbath a major coups, a somewhat genius idea, but how many of those are left to be unearthed?

ENB are rather hit or miss for me - their Nutcracker utterly missable, but both their Giselles immensely watchable; their triple bills also vary hugely variable, from superb to 'meh'. Be interested to see what the new Director does to move forward

I only see NB and SB when they visit London, so difficult to comment if they are 'there' or not. Usually enjoy their visits

Ballet Black do wonders for a tiny company, touring everywhere it seems, but now seem to only do two pieces a year (importantly, two NEW pieces a year)

 

More questions than answers it seems!

[Sim]

1 hour ago, capybara said:

Within the Arts and Books section of today’s Sunday Telegraph, 10 critics offer their views as to how various aspects of the UK’s cultural scene could be improved. 
The dance reviewer Mark Monahan writes as follows:

 

“With the lockdown now behind them, Britain’s leading ballet companies need to remember, consider and (re-) define who they are and what they do. 

Both geographically and artistically, Scottish Ballet and Northern Ballet are already “there”.   
 

But what distinguishes those two larger touring companies, Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Ballet?

 

And does The Royal Ballet want to be “just” a glossy, world-class company with the world’s finest dramatic repertory - or the one also equipped with the most uniquely refined, expressive and affecting style of delivering it? The latter is woven into the company’s history, but only across-the-board diligence and discipline will prevent it from fading.”

 

It will be really interesting to know where BCF members stand on these issues.

 

 

 

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/theatre/what-to-see/culture-new-years-resolutions/

 

 

Call me stooopid but I don’t really understand what he’s getting at.  

[MJW]

5 minutes ago, Sim said:

Call me stooopid but I don’t really understand what he’s getting at.  

 

I'm glad you said that, because I thought the same thing when I read it!

[Peony]

I looked at enb earlier and all of the dates they’ve released (until

june) are in London. And BRB seem to have dropped many of their previous locations. Are they actually touring companies? A huge part of the country is not served by any of those companies anymore! I think brb2 is an interesting concept so may have to investigate their dates. I saw le corsaire on tour and it was really popular, enb did promote it quite heavily though which is probably needed

[Tony Newcombe]

BRB schedule for 2024 includes Southampton, Salford, Sunderland, Plymouth, Bristol and London ( Sadlers Wells & Royal Albert Hall) !

[Mary]

23 minutes ago, Sim said:

Call me stooopid but I don’t really understand what he’s getting at.  

I assumed he meant there was a risk of RB losing their unique English style, a subject that we have certainly discussed on the forum. ..... but possibly he doesn't mean that- it is rather obscurely worded.

[Tango Dancer]

16 minutes ago, Peony said:

I looked at enb earlier and all of the dates they’ve released (until

june) are in London. And BRB seem to have dropped many of their previous locations. Are they actually touring companies? A huge part of the country is not served by any of those companies anymore! I think brb2 is an interesting concept so may have to investigate their dates. I saw le corsaire on tour and it was really popular, enb did promote it quite heavily though which is probably needed

 

I am hoping that London City Ballet and similar companies will bring some ballet to some of the less widely toured theatres.  

 

BRB does tour more widely and I'm currently debating whether to see their Sleeping Beauty in Manchester or Birmingham.  

 

Northern Ballet does a really good job touring some of their works and some of their smaller pieces, e.g. Generations sold really well.  So there's definitely an appetite for ballet outside London.  

[Jan McNulty]

Well @Peony has just taken the words right out of my mouth!

 

ENB dropped the Spring tour pre-pandemic and this year didn't even bother to include Liverpool in the Autumn tour.  I think their mixed programmes look interesting but haven't made it to London to see them since pre-pandemic.  I'm looking forward to see how Aaron S Watkin takes the company forward.

 

While BRB still comes to The Lowry and Sunderland in the Spring the company no longer comes to The Lowry or Sunderland in the Autumn and in 2024 we don't even have a Birmingham season in June to look forward to.  I'm waiting to see what Autumn holds for BRB.  The variety of the rep presented each year has been tailing off.  In Birmingham in the Spring we used to get a mixed programme and a full length, often a mixed in June, a mixed and full length in the Autumn as well as the Nutcracker at the end of the year.  I am not filled with enthusiasm for the way the company is going at the moment but I am holding judgement until the Autumn is announced.

 

Northern Ballet is in financial difficulties and the tours have been shorter than usual but hopefully Romeo and Juliet will help redeem the company fortunes.  I can't wait to hear what we can look forward to in the Autumn ... with an orchestra I hope!!!

 

I'm out of touch with Scottish Ballet but want to get back in touch.  The rep looks interesting and just that bit different.

 

I love Ballet Black full stop.  I believe Cassa commissions more new productions than most other companies.

 

I can't wait to see where Chris Marney takes London City Ballet both in terms of venues and rep going forward.

 

The Royal Ballet (and BRB) are the keepers of the heritage of ballet in Britain and, IMO, are between a rock and a hard place for both preserving the heritage and moving forward.

 

I think those of us north of Birmingham lose out on a lot of ballet opportunities so thank goodness for Northern Ballet!

 

 

[Jan McNulty]

10 minutes ago, Tony Newcombe said:

BRB schedule for 2024 includes Southampton, Salford, Sunderland, Plymouth, Bristol and London ( Sadlers Wells & Royal Albert Hall) !

 

Mostly southern dates Tony now that Sunderland and Salford only get one visit each a year but I agree they have expanded the touring rep to regular gigs in Southampton and Bristol.

 

7 minutes ago, Tango Dancer said:

 

 

BRB does tour more widely and I'm currently debating whether to see their Sleeping Beauty in Manchester or Birmingham.  

  

 

BRB tour to Salford not Manchester (thank goodness - as The Lowry is much easier to get to for me!).

[Peony]

Brb do a lot of touring to the south west, perhaps they’re very popular there? Some of us in the East and North like ballet too 😀

I don’t know what’s going on with ENB, I wouldn’t really call them a ‘touring’ company currently though and it’s not because they want to present more unusual works as it’s mainly the old faithfuls! Perhaps they’re aiming for the tourist market? 

[Linnzi5]

1 hour ago, Sim said:

Call me stooopid but I don’t really understand what he’s getting at.  

Glad it's not just me! 😳

[LinMM]

It looks like he has ambivalent feelings towards the Royal Ballet and that is why his post is not that clear. 

[Blossom]

My understanding is that ACE defines where companies tour to and possibly they might even have a say on repertoire. I also think that they are the crux of the issue in terms of defining how able companies are to move forward. 

 

The ‘cure’ for dance in 2024 in my opinion is for a less democratic approach to funding by ACE. World class dance can’t be maintained by spreading funding thinly from the brilliant to the less than mediocre. Not all art is equal and if we want to maintain ‘the best’, something has got to give in these tight times. 
 

In terms of RB in particular, I would say they need to invest in more true classical repertoire, whether that means bringing back more of the work they were built on, or commissioning new work or reconstructions to ensure the longevity of the true art form. The challenge here, sadly,  is the absence of the right choreographer. 

[Amelia]

1 hour ago, Blossom said:

In terms of RB in particular, I would say they need to invest in more true classical repertoire, whether that means bringing back more of the work they were built on, or commissioning new work or reconstructions to ensure the longevity of the true art form. The challenge here, sadly,  is the absence of the right choreographer. 

 

Fully support your view. The last sentence contains an accurate diagnosis.

Edited January 1 by Amelia
a typo

[MAB]

Blossom, you've absolutely nailed it.

[Emeralds]

I think the difficulty with touring around the country is that it's not just up to the company to want to go (that's the easiest bit to agree to), but the logistics and practical challenges of dealing with a) costs of accommodation, b) costs of moving and parking personnel and equipment to different regions and towns, and parking of the lorries because many theatres can't store scenery etc backstage, c) dealing with different management and staff (especially if there's a high turnover) in every theatre whereas RB for example only has to work with ROH staff, d) trying to juggle every theatre's schedules.

 

It's not generally BRB/ENB's fault if theatre X is not available after promising "see you in 2 years!" but gave away their one week slot to a jukebox musical or tribute band for example. So the audience often say "why aren't you coming back to us?" when sometimes the question to ask is "Why has our theatre management given an extra  week to "Nearly Clapton" or "Strictly ABBA"  instead of booking ENB/BRB?"

Edited January 1 by Emeralds

[Emeralds]

I think the mini article is rather wishy washy. It's pretty difficult for any ballet company to be a (quote unquote) "glossy world class  company with the finest dramatic repertory" in the first place, without also having to be all things to all people! (But of course, I will keep asking/cajoling for more  Ashton in RB seasons because Ashton also has dramatic repertory as well as valuable and well-liked pure classical ballets.)

 

That said, wishy washy or not, at least ballet is being covered in a major broadsheet instead of pop celebrity gossip or other trivia. I guess he has to ask questions instead of saying "this is great, everything is great" as editors and readers won't find that as interesting. 

Edited January 1 by Emeralds

[Jan McNulty]

Unless things have changed ACE does indeed control the touring venues.  If a company chooses to tour to an extra theatre it is the company and theatre’s own risk.

 

Well over 20 years ago ACE carved up England into target areas for the larger companies.  I don’t know if those target areas are still extant.

 

Cross border funding - eg if NB wants to go to Edinburgh - has to be applied for separately and I believe it is now very hard to get.

[Dawnstar]

4 hours ago, Blossom said:

The ‘cure’ for dance in 2024 in my opinion is for a less democratic approach to funding by ACE. World class dance can’t be maintained by spreading funding thinly from the brilliant to the less than mediocre. Not all art is equal and if we want to maintain ‘the best’, something has got to give in these tight times.

 

I think this absolutely applies to everything else ACE funds as well as dance, and perhaps even more to opera than the rest. Unfortunately "the best" seems to be near the bottom of ACE's priorities at the moment.

[Fonty]

Goodness, where to begin? 

 

First of all, I also have no idea what Mr Monahan is talking about.  What point is he trying to make?  Why does he use the adjective "glossy" when describing the RB as a world class company?  Makes it sound as though he thinks the company wants to be one with a gleaming facade but no depth.  A case of "all fur coat and no knickers" as my aunt used to say.  How on earth does that tie in with his comment about dramatic rep?  And what exactly does he mean by "dramatic" in the first place?  A ballet that expresses strong emotion of the tragic sort, or any piece that tells a story?  For example, works such as the Nutcracker, Coppelia or Fille have a narrative, but I would hardly call them dramatic, at least not in the way I would define the word in this context.  

 

With regard to touring companies, they must have a very difficult time deciding what to take to places that get very little ballet.  In London we are spoilt for choice, so we don't mind going to see something we know very little about.  If I find myself watching people in grey underwear rolling about while someone bangs dustbin lids together for 45 minutes, I would just chalk it up to experience, knowing that next month I can book a ticket for something much more to my taste.  Those who attend maybe once or twice a year are not as likely to spend good money on the unknown.  They probably want something more familiar, such as good old Swan Lake.  I seem to remember when the Opera House was closed, and the RB was performing in various places that they struggled to fill theatres at times.  I know a friend of mine took her granddaughter to see something, and the only choice was a triple bill of some sort.  She said it was ok, but the child  was disappointed.  She wanted to see the ladies in gorgeous tutus and pointe shoes, rather than the more modern pieces that were being offered.  That is what ballet meant to her, as it does to so many people who don't go regularly.  

 

No idea what the ACE wants, but my perception is that they are keen to encourage the more experimental at the expense of the traditional, and allot funds accordingly.  Whereas people new to ballet might be more tempted by the sort of fare danced at galas.  Lots of variety with many definite crowd pleasers.

 

  
 

[Lizbie1]

I thought this was an interesting but bleak thread about ACE's attitude to classical music. I wonder if it might also apply to ballet.

 

 

 

[Pas de Quatre]

It sometimes feels as though ACE dislikes anything traditional or successful. They do indeed decide who can tour where. My nearest theatres are split, Mayflower in Southampton is South East Region whereas Poole comes under Southwest and Wales. We used to get National Dance Company of Wales there which was wonderful, but they haven't been for years.  Touring does seem to be more restricted.

Edited January 1 by Pas de Quatre

[Tango Dancer]

1 hour ago, Fonty said:

With regard to touring companies, they must have a very difficult time deciding what to take to places that get very little ballet.  In London we are spoilt for choice, so we don't mind going to see something we know very little about.  If I find myself watching people in grey underwear rolling about while someone bangs dustbin lids together for 45 minutes, I would just chalk it up to experience, knowing that next month I can book a ticket for something much more to my taste.  Those who attend maybe once or twice a year are not as likely to spend good money on the unknown.  They probably want something more familiar, such as good old Swan Lake.  I seem to remember when the Opera House was closed, and the RB was performing in various places that they struggled to fill theatres at times.  I know a friend of mine took her granddaughter to see something, and the only choice was a triple bill of some sort.  She said it was ok, but the child  was disappointed.  She wanted to see the ladies in gorgeous tutus and pointe shoes, rather than the more modern pieces that were being offered.  That is what ballet meant to her, as it does to so many people who don't go regularly.  

 

No idea what the ACE wants, but my perception is that they are keen to encourage the more experimental at the expense of the traditional, and allot funds accordingly.  Whereas people new to ballet might be more tempted by the sort of fare danced at galas.  Lots of variety with many definite crowd pleasers.

 

  
 

 

I think this is the key.   If they don't go often or have much choice people tend to want the classics.  (That said Akram Khan's modern Giselle at Manchester was pretty full when I went and so was Ballet Black at Salford).  

 

I think the problem can be that ACE sometimes wants companies to do modern "improving" pieces (which are often quite depressing) and that's not what people want to see.  People like watching pretty dancers in tutus performing because it's escapist and fun and uplifting. If someone wants to see that they're not going to spend money on modern stuff involving grey underwear and dustbin lids.  Especially given that most people don't have large amounts of discretionary budget.  I try and see 1-2 modern pieces per year but it can be hard finding ones that aren't terminally miserable and woefully unimaginative.  Thank goodness for Tiler Peck.  

Edited January 1 by Tango Dancer