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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that ballet doesn't deserve its elitist image?

130 replies

k2p2k2tog · 05/01/2018 08:12

For the first time in my life last night I went to the ballet. My DD dances and she came with me, we saw Scottish Ballet do the Nutcracker. And it was amazing. Loved it. Live orchestra, stunning sets, sparkly costumes, great soloists and overall a good experience. DD was worried it would be hard to follow what was going on - she found it very easy to understand the story and was inspired by the fabulous dancers.

Our tickets were £14 each. This is not much more than going to the cinema, and half the price of panto tickets in Glasgow this year. Yes we could have paid more to sit in the grand circle but we had a very good, unrestricted view of what was happening on stage.

So why does ballet have this "posh" image when people are quite happy to pay £14 for a cinema ticket and popcorn, or £50 or more to see whoever's the latest pop star on tour?

OP posts:
wizzywig · 05/01/2018 18:47

I've never thought of going to the opera or ballet. I'm going to Google and see what's available in the home counties

Laqueue · 05/01/2018 19:23

It is about accessibility- I was raised in a rural village with once a week access to the nearest town with shops, moved there when I was ten, but I listened to the radio, sang in school because we had lots of music opportunity as part of the curriculum and unfortunately we couldn't afford the fees for the better instrumental teachers or even the most mediocre singing teachers. Had we been better placed financially I have very little doubt that I would have made Opera/ theatre my career. Especially having worked with an opera company on a community project when I was in my teens.
Nowadays children are not able to access non pop music because their parents arent' interested and school budgets have been decimated for extras so they don't get exposed to it there and that's where the charges of elitism come from.

WeAreGerbil · 05/01/2018 19:31

Nowadays children are not able to access non pop music because their parents arent' interested and school budgets have been decimated for extras so they don't get exposed to it there

I think since you now have to pay for music lessons it's less normal for kids to learn an instrument - nearly all of my friends did but none of DD's do, so despite my best efforts to persuade her (we had a couple of false starts) she won't play anything orchestral because it's not an opportunity to be with her friends. Music has been a big part of my life but without free lessons and instrument loan we wouldn't have been able to afford it.

peachgreen · 05/01/2018 19:34

@Ifailed That's partly how they can make tickets available at that price.

JemimaMuddledUp · 05/01/2018 21:26

You don't have to participate in something to be able to appreciate watching it. DD has never wanted to dance herself (prefers horses and football) but enjoys watching ballet. Like me she enjoys the music and the costumes.

Likewise I'm unlikely to ever play rugby but I love watching it!

perpetuallybewildered · 06/01/2018 10:26

I was at the same performance OP with two young children who loved it. I’ve seen better productions but I enjoyed it too. We talked to the children about the story in the run up and explained that there’s no talking or singing, the story is told through dance. I also made sure they understood that they weren’t to speak through it. I’d been a bit concerned that they may have found it too long or incomprehensible however they were captivated and one of them told me that they’d loved the music as well as the dance and costumes, perhaps I’ll take her to an opera next Smile. The Nutcracker is an excellent introduction to ballet for children and no more expensive than a panto. We bought family tickets in the stalls at £21 each, I know that’s a lot for many families but it does represent terrific value for money.

Oh and for the poster who mentioned Primark outfits I can truthfully say I did not notice what anyone was wearing other than that most were casually dressed.

Original poster
k2p2k2tog · 06/01/2018 10:33

I didn't notice what other people were wearing either. It was a cold, wet night so we went in jeans, jumpers and heavy coats. I certainly didn't feel out of place. No tiaras and ball gowns certainly!

OP posts:
AgentProvocateur · 06/01/2018 11:05

Damn, I’ll put my tiara back in its box then Grin

AgentProvocateur · 07/01/2018 19:16

@k2p2k2tog, that was a wonderful production. It was so beautiful and the music was perfect. There wasn’t a spare seat last night, and loads of young kids, but everyone was spellbound. You could have heard a pin drop.

Jassmells · 07/01/2018 19:48

£14 is great. I do think anything theatre based is generally extortionate though. Even the pantomime in Birmingham is generally £45+ per ticket. Tickets to see Shrek averaging £45 too (unless you want a crap seat where you can't see anything for £19), Jersey Boys £60+, Nutcracker £38+ here, I could go on.... especially for productions that are continually touring I think it is ridiculously expensive. You are talking £200 for a family of 4 and that's before your parking\train and any refreshments. I was always taken to the theatre a lot as a child and want to do the same for my children but the cost makes me shudder and thus it's pretty rare. Tend to go to some of the smaller shows that go to the town halls but if you want to see something well known it's hard.

Original poster
k2p2k2tog · 07/01/2018 20:19

But did you wear your tiara, Agent???

We didn't go to the panto this year purely because we didn't think it was value for money. 5 of us at around £30 a seat is £150 before you factor in parking, travel etc. Extortionate. We also looked at prices for the well-known West End musicals on a London trip not so long ago and almost had heart failure. SO expensive.

The Theatre Royal in Glasgow belongs to Scottish Ballet and Scottish Opera, so when they're performing there they dont have the rent costs which they would at other theatres, as far as I know. We certainly could have paid more than £14 for our tickets had we wanted to sit in the stalls or in the grand circle but as it was a first at the ballet for both of us, we were happy in the Gods.

OP posts:
bridgetoc · 08/01/2018 00:21

I love The Ballet........ Going to see Matthew Bourne's Cinderella at Sadlers Wells on the 18th....... I'm looking forward to it!

NewYearNiki · 08/01/2018 01:56

A friend of mine just handed over £270 for Taylor Swift tickets for herself and dd.

How is ballet inaccessible and too expensive compared to Taylor swift and her rubbish music

NewYearNiki · 08/01/2018 01:58

I've been to ROH, Glyndebourne a few times. There are cheaper seats to be had just have to get in early.

RestingGrinchFace · 08/01/2018 02:24

Because a lot of not so 'posh' people don't get it/find it boring/think of it as stuffy/simply don't feel comfortable going etc? My parents were poor immigrants but we regularly attended the ballet as a child (opera not so much as my father was not fond of a lot of the composers that were in vouge at the time and ballet is also better set up for young children with more matinees etc). It never occurred to me to think of it as an upper class pursuit because it was normal to me. It would not have occurred to me it as odd if more working g class people turned up and I have never seen anyone behave exclusionary at the ballet towards working class people or foreigners or anyone. As most things it seems to be more of a case of the 'lower orders' excluding themselves by telling themselves that they are not welcome when no one else really cares. People go, they watch the show, come out for a glass of wine and a chat with their friends during the intermission and go back in. So long as you aren't talkinf during the performance/letting your children run around no one cares in the least whether you are there or not in the first place.

RestingGrinchFace · 08/01/2018 02:29

Fundamentally you don't even have physically go to the ballet to watch it these days. You can see it on television, at the cinema or on YouTube. There is no excuse. It's readily accessible, some people just choose not to watch it.

PrincessoftheSea · 08/01/2018 07:29

Agree with resting. I go to the Royal Opera House to see a ballet or opera about once a month and usually pay £25-35 per ticket.

I also think its important to introduce my children to all arts forms.

I don't like Shakespeare much, but I take my children to see some plays and I don't like panto but feel my children should have seen a panto.

I am always puzzled how few black and Asian people you see in the audience at the opera and also at the theatre.

LazyDailyMailJournos · 08/01/2018 07:38

Love watching it. Participating can be expensive though. I have a relative who dances; dance wear isn't cheap and pointe shoes are expensive and need constantly replacing. The wider family chip in through dance-related birthday and Christmas presents to help support her training.

I would agree that a reputable dance school would never introduce anything as ridiculous as a mandatory Jo-Jo bow. Any decent teacher will be more concerned about making sure his or her talented students stay in training. IME most dancers are wearing the most raggdedy old leg warmers and jumpers for warming up and classes anyway, so the older they get the less important a 'label' becomes.

zzzzz · 08/01/2018 07:42

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PrincessoftheSea · 08/01/2018 08:47

Is it just about personal like or dislike? I think its good to at least be familiar with some opera, plays and classical music. People often reference it and I think if you are completely clueless you can feel a bit excluded.

I think people expect others to know the basic plot of say Tosca and La boheme and who wrote the music to the Nutcracker. They don't expect you to know anything about Taylor Swift.

I see it as part of my childrens cultural education which I am responsible for. Luckily I also enjoy it, but like I already said I don't particularly enjoy Shakespeare (though I enjoy being at the Globe) but I do take my children.

Ifailed · 08/01/2018 09:16

I think people expect others to know the basic plot of say Tosca and La boheme

Well I don't. I've tried to watch it on the telly but it just came across as a lot of shouty-singing in a foreign language with over-exaggerated acting.

PrincessoftheSea · 08/01/2018 10:05

I won't dorce anyone to love opera but you cannot compare watching it on tv to seeing it live.

PrincessoftheSea · 08/01/2018 10:05

Force sorry

StableGenius · 08/01/2018 10:22

The acting is bound to look over-exaggerated on TV because it's intended to be visible to the back row of the gods, not people a few feet away staring into a box.

That's why it's better live innit.

Ifailed · 08/01/2018 11:11

The acting is bound to look over-exaggerated on TV because it's intended to be visible to the back row of the gods, not people a few feet away staring into a box.

This was a production filmed specifically for TV, so I can only assume the Director etc were trying to showcase opera for a home audience.

If the arguement is that one can only appreciate opera by attending an event, then it is elitist, as there are simply not enough reasonably priced seats easily available around the country, unlike cinema or indeed people's sitting rooms.

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