"oooo the ballet...how posh!"

Trivia: In the 18^th century dance company managers could throw their dancers in jail if they missed rehearsals or performances!

I went to see my first ever ballet last night at the  Royal concert hall in Nottingham it  was a strange experience i did not know what to expect, obviously I know the basic Jist of the story but I did refrain from Wiki –ing it before I went , mainly to challenge myself on whether I could understand the story or whether my working class genetics would over-power me!  I am not too proud to admit (after wiki-ing it today to see how much of it I understood) I did miss some of the slighter nuances!

I cannot really give a full critique on the performance, in my eyes the dancers were excellent and the orchestra played very well, the timing between the two was outstanding. Then on the other hand someone with more experience may slap me and say “what  are you on about it was a tour de force”  for downplaying it or shout at me as because “it was abysmal!”

I was surprised how much more graceful the male dancers were over the female ones. When one thinks of ballet the immediate image of a lady in a tutu springs to mind but it was the male dancers in my opinion that stole the show last night. The performer who played Von Rothbart has real presence on stage, a stand out performance during the ball room scene where he presents his daughter to dance with Siegfried -  a fantastically elegant dancer with real passion and character. I really enjoyed the harlequin who proved that ballet can be funny – he seemed to be a dancer that really enjoyed his part!

I was instinctively drawn to the set. It is where my passions lie and I feel that a shabby set can really distract from a sterling performance. I was very impressed with this set Hats off to scenic painters it must be and amazing and painstaking job but ultimately fulfilling.  I have never been to a production that used  traditional scenery and it has sparked my interest in it a little more. It consists of layering the stage with a back drop which contains most of the scene painted in perspective onto it , in this case mountains, the moon and ruins, as we move then there are 2 or 3 layers coming down the stage these form the exits and entrances for the dancers as well as gives the stage depth, the side ‘flats’ were trees that reached over the stage. As you can see from the photo the optical illusions it created was magnificent not only because the scenic painters managed to make fabric look solid, but the overall detail of the images added to the performance and was not distracting.   But it has given me the drive to research traditional scenic methods a little more now as appose to (as is always tempting) the ground breaking revolutionary techniques used in such west end  shows as war horse, love never dies and (less successfully) lord of the rings .

I think that the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre do a fantastic job of making ballet more accessible with their touring company. Although it does mean that you do get Sweet packet rustling, pop bottles going pssst and giggling students sat behind you commenting on the men’s….physique shall we say…through their tights.*

The tickets were reasonable, with a group deal of 4 tickets for £40, and the seats were in the stalls (which unusual when paying so little ) . I would very much recommend anyone who wants something a little different to have a look into seeing this theatre company when they pop up again.  I went with 3 friends and at £10 each it  is only a few pounds more  than the cinema – but with the added bonus that you can feel superior more cultured when you tell  your friends and family what you are doing that night!  

Swan Lake so a pretty safe choice to break your virginity with but somehow I have come away feeling that it was too safe. I enjoyed it thoroughly but if someone asks me “do you like the ballet” I would still have to say I am not sure …I liked this performance!”  but I am looking forward to seeing another show and maybe testing the waters with something a little more challenging then see if I can break my genetics and become a ballet regular.

*yes I could see their junk too but at least I waited until the interval to have a good giggle!