I had a dream about Sylvie Guillem. It was in an enormous cavernous theatre, all lined in red velvet and with crazy, impossible Expressionist angles, no seating, everyone just seated on slopes. Sophie would pop out of trap doors in the ceiling and whiz down ramps, rollerskates strapped to her endless long legs. She pelted the audience with chocolate bars which came inside drawstring silk bags...
I woke up with a strong desire to go and see this goddess. She is playing at the Coliseum in April. Maybe I'll take my ex-dancer, ballet-loving friend, I think... Guess how much the tickets in the stalls, go on, just guess...
Cheapest are £75.00. So one ticket for me & one for E would be £150, for a couple of hours entertainment. It's daylight robbery. No wonder the poor can't get to the theatre, the opera, the ballet - okay, you can get a ticket in the balcony for £15.00 but you can see fuck all, the stage is miles away. You can go and see a film for £10.00 and have the best view in the house. It makes me sad though. I'm not a great ballet fan but I like to see dance now and again, it's just astronomically expensive.
Still, her barking mad website is worth checking out...
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5 comments:
The view from the balcony at the Coliseum isn't bad at all. Take opera glasses or binoculars.
No, no, no, GSE! It is a total ripoff. I won't sit in the balcony anymore, you might as well be watching it on tv at home for all the immediacy and atmosphere you get stuck a hundred miles away in the air, looking down through binoculars. The whole point of a live show is being able to see the performers doing their thing in person. It is not the same, looking at little pin figures twirling away on a far distant stage. You want to see them life-size... It's the same reason I'd never go and see a band at a stadium anymore.
I know what you mean, Annie. I'm not a mad ballet fan either, but I do think it's best appreciated live (and up close!) Televised performances just don't compare. In fact, I didn't even especially enjoy ballet until the first time I saw it live.
I've only ever seen ballet on the telly. It pisses all over opera, I can tell you that much.
Opera is something else which is better seen live. I guess most performance art is. Actually, the same is true (probably more so) for visual art and sport.
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