alison Posted April 2, 2012 Author Share Posted April 2, 2012 Hello, Leinstergarden, and welcome. I've seen your name somewhere else, I think. If you've never seen a ballet and want to give it a go then picking an established, full length, narrative piece is a bit like looking for a kitemark when you're shopping. Although it may turn out to be a kitemark illegally applied to some substandard article "Made in China", of course . There are enough poor productions of "big name" ballets around for people to experience that they may well go to something, think "I didn't really like that" and not bother going again, not realising that it may not have been them at fault but the production. With regard to the Internet, which I don't think anyone's really mentioned so far, I'm sure that venues'/companies' websites, Facebook pages and even Twitter accounts must potentially be a very good way of attracting audiences, but realistically I think that if potential audiences have got that far then the company is preaching to the (at least semi-) converted already. How do you attract the people who don't actually go that far? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonty Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 I mentioned the internet, Alison, with regard to Youtube, which I think could be a very useful tool for promoting upcoming programmes for new people who might be thinking of giving ballet a go. I agree with the points made about ballets with strong narrative schemes. Every person I have introduced to the ballet has said that they prefer something with "a bit of a story". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 (edited) Usually, but not always, a well planned evening of several ballets is set up in the following manner: The first is like an overture - an introduction - setting the mood - taking the observer away from the world outside. The next is the "heart" of the evening - what the company wants to show you - a new work - or a new work for them - or or or The last piece is often about sending you off either with something to think about - or something rousing - something that hopefully will stay with you as you re-emerge into the world of reality. People who are unfamilar with ballet will often say "I don't go because I don't think I'll understand it." To which I usually reply - you don't have to "understand" it- you just watch the dancing and listen to the music. There's nothing hidden. (If there is a hidden intent and you "get" it - it's not hidden and if you don't "get" it - you don't miss getting it.) Just as people say 'Oh, I could never be a ballet dancer because I am not graceful - well, guess what? One goes to ballet class to learn that grace. Or "I could never play the piano because I don't read music - well, guess what? One takes piano lessons to learn how to read music. As for getting someone to go for the first time...hmmmm....depends upon that person's personality. Some might get really caught up in a well known story such as Romeo and Juliet - others might find that heavy. If I was to ask a newbie to a triple bill it would probably include something like Carmen - which has an easily understood story with very familiar and beloved music. I probably wouldn't take a newbie to a triple bill of abstract ballets in which the dancer spends the first ten minutes studying his/her hand to either silence or "music" that sounds like trash can (dust bin) lids crashing about. And I wouldn't discuss the intricacies of the performance - that tends to put the newbie off. Edited April 3, 2012 by Anjuli_Bai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 I know that I have been raving about the recent Beyond Ballets Russes programmes at the Coliseum in another thread, but I do think that both programmes could have appealed to ballet newbies. There was such variety in each programme that there would surely have been something that a ballet newbie would have enjoyed. The music in both programmes considerably added to the enjoyment of the ballets. Rite is so arresting both visually and musically that I would be very surprised if anyone left the theatre without it having made a very strong impression on him/her. I defy anyone other than the most avid ballet-hater not to be charmed by Suite en Blanc. Whereas the latter epitomises the beauty and breathtaking difficulty of classical ballet Rite would I think challenge a newbie's preconceptions of what ballet is. I agree with Alison that judicious use of social media as well as articles, as opposed to just adverts, in newspapers, magazines etc could really help. It's no good just putting stuff on the companies websites; they are only looked at by existing supporters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted April 3, 2012 Share Posted April 3, 2012 Most of the repertoire of Rambert is abstract short works and when I go to see them at the Lowry the audience is largely young. How does that company attract a younger, and presumably newer, audience? I started going to see Contemporary dance first and then moved on to ballet. Has anyone else followed this route into ballet-watching? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Most of the repertoire of Rambert is abstract short works and when I go to see them at the Lowry the audience is largely young. How does that company attract a younger, and presumably newer, audience? I started going to see Contemporary dance first and then moved on to ballet. Has anyone else followed this route into ballet-watching? No, I went the other way! :-) Also purely my own 2p worth - I don't always equate 'new audience' with 'younger audience'. Using myself as an example, I moved on from rock gigs and festivals, to something slightly more sedate (and certainly drier), in my 40's. Perhaps they should be targeting the 35+ age group, rather than the 14+ age group, for that elusive 'new' audience... Yes, its great seeing younger people at the ballet - but a lot of those may have been brought by their parents, rather than their own volition Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Interesting thought Dave. I think you could well be right. I followed rock groups and got into theatre going by accident, when a band we wanted to see was sold out but we had seen a leaflet for something on at the Liverpool Playhouse. Contemporary dance followed when something we wanted to see at the Playhouse was sold out and we went to see the much-lamented London Contemporary at Southport Arts Centre. The rest, as they say, is history. My gradual removal from the rock scene coincided with more and more of the groups playing arenas and I'm not that keen on arenas. So how do we attract 30-somethings to the ballet and, more particularly, to mixed programmes? It's unlikely they would participate in educational outreach programmes but we need something to hook people in. Many years ago (late 80s) a colleague used to tease me something rotten about my burgeoning obsession with ballet. His mother-in-law was due to take his daughter to a performance but she was poorly. As his wife declined to go, rather than disappoint his daughter and waste the tickets, my collegue took her. The following day in a conference of about 20 people he publicly apologised to me and said he had loved the performance he had seen. In subsequent years I have bumped into him and his wife at ballet performances!! Perhaps ballet-loving mother-in-laws should pretend indisposition! I would be interested to know if any non-ballet-goers who saw Black Swan and went to a ballet as a result went again after their first visit. (I still haven't seen the film BTW). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowan Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 I saw Beyond Ballet Russes Programme 2 - thank you, balletcoforum, for mentioning the discounted tickets! - with a newbie ballet goer. Although not initially keen on going, especially on a sunny Sunday afternoon, he said he'd be up for seeing something again another time. What he liked the most was Suite en Blanc, where he felt there was no pressure to follow or understand the "story"; whereas with Apollo or Jeux there was a story of sorts which he had to concentrate on and work out who was meant to be who and what they were meant to be doing. With Suite he felt he could just enjoy the dancing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 An interesting viewpoint from your ballet newbie, Rowan. I think that s/he might have enjoyed Rite for the same reason, even though it's a totally different ballet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowan Posted April 4, 2012 Share Posted April 4, 2012 Aileen, yes, I agree. I think I said in an earlier post that it was Rite which was my own Road of Damascus moment in regards to ballet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 5, 2012 Author Share Posted April 5, 2012 What he liked the most was Suite en Blanc, where he felt there was no pressure to follow or understand the "story"; whereas with Apollo or Jeux there was a story of sorts which he had to concentrate on and work out who was meant to be who and what they were meant to be doing. With Suite he felt he could just enjoy the dancing. So, this was his reaction *on* seeing the ballets, rather than before? That's very interesting, because it totally contradicts the assumption that most people want to see narrative ballets. I think the truth is that people *think* they want to see narrative ballets because they think that's what ballet's about, and then they probably want to see something where they have an idea about the story in advance so that it's not too "difficult", whereas in fact what they might well be better off with is something without much or any plot, and just being plonked down in front of it and told "listen to the music and see how the dancers react to it"! So then the music becomes more important, and the person might like to hear something familiar so that they can appreciate better how the choreography interacts with it. Which brings us back to the idea of linking to it from the website, which presupposes that you've got people to visit your website in the first place ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 Alison, I'm also coming round to the idea that newbies are better off seeing plotless ballets with "good", preferably familiar, music so that they can just allow themselves to enjoy what they see and hear without worrying about whether they are understanding everything. That being said, the problem with a mixed programme is that there is generally at least one very obscure/ bit of an acquired taste type piece which could be off-putting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 You can go and see a full-evening work and dislike the whole evening. There is nearly always something to enjoy in a mixed programme. I was just wondering if something like the Royal Ballet Sinfonia's annual evening of music and dance where we have a mix of music and dance might help. Wayne Sleep used to do an evening that had dance excerpts which he talked about before he performed. They were an excellent evening's entertainment and, because of his celebrity, maybe some of the audience were newbies and then went on to a full ballet performance. Perhaps we are also at the stage where we need someone with a Carlos-effect to get media attention and perhaps draw newbies in. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mallinson Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 The answer to how to sell a mixed bill is that you do whatever the RB has done with it's Wheeldon/Scarlett/McGregor bill. The six performances are very nearly sold out and will be soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aileen Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 Yes, the RB have tapped into the Boy George and Ronson fan bases and combined that with the live stream and saturation press coverage (one day on the Guardian website there were about half a dozen articles on this programme). Very clever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul N Posted April 5, 2012 Share Posted April 5, 2012 Yes, the RB have tapped into the Boy George and Ronson fan bases and combined that with the live stream and saturation press coverage (one day on the Guardian website there were about half a dozen articles on this programme). Very clever. And a top price of £42, compared to at least £63 for other mixed bills and £117 for R&J. Yes, it should sell out shouldn't it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted April 5, 2012 Author Share Posted April 5, 2012 Yes, the RB have tapped into the Boy George and Ronson fan bases and combined that with the live stream and saturation press coverage (one day on the Guardian website there were about half a dozen articles on this programme). Very clever. That's why I put "and assuming that you don't have the luxury of access to "big name" collaborators/performers to attract audiences" in my original post . After all, the RB does have something of an unfair advantage. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zxDaveM Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Put Symphony in C at the end of every triple!!! :-) (and a viewing of that should be national curriculum!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billboyd Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Symphony in C ends next RB season - Following 2 Acts of McGregor A Triple McGregor Bill would be a good idea. (Not to end the season) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 Bill, if you were on the bill would that complete the triple bill??!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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