cbb Posted July 20, 2010 #1 Share Posted July 20, 2010 We are going with Alla for our 3 days in St P and need advise. We have the opportunity to attend Swan Lake at the Hermitage. I love the ballet and Tchaikovsky even more but I need to know what I'm going to see. Is it a few instruments and a few dancers from the corps de ballet or is it a full-fledged production? Nothing wrong with the former but knowing helps in the decision making. (Will I be disappointed that I did not attend "the ballet in Russia"-- ie. personal bucket list?) As always, thanks to all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azam71209 Posted July 20, 2010 #2 Share Posted July 20, 2010 We are going with Alla for our 3 days in St P and need advise. We have the opportunity to attend Swan Lake at the Hermitage. I love the ballet and Tchaikovsky even more but I need to know what I'm going to see. Is it a few instruments and a few dancers from the corps de ballet or is it a full-fledged production? Nothing wrong with the former but knowing helps in the decision making. (Will I be disappointed that I did not attend "the ballet in Russia"-- ie. personal bucket list?) As always, thanks to all. We went with Intrav on a river cruise several years ago. The ballet was small, not a major production, but quite pleasant, with competent performers but nothing special. My recollection is that the "real" ballet companies were off touring in summer. We went on Azamara last year and had a private guide. She was willing to take us to a full production (and buy her own ticket) but we didn't follow up on it. juliaguide@gmail.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrammieK Posted July 20, 2010 #3 Share Posted July 20, 2010 When we went to the Russian Ballet years ago, it was during a "heat" wave. The auditorium did not have any air conditioning. Be prepared for few creature comforts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marilynfaye Posted July 20, 2010 #4 Share Posted July 20, 2010 We were in St. P on our one and only Ren cruise in 2001. I think one of the biggest disappointments in my life was not being able to get inside the Maryinsky Theater. Talk about a Bucket List item unfulfilled. We passed it several times as we were touring around town, but, alas it was all locked up. We were there in mid June (just ahead of White Nights), but there just was nothing going on during our visit. I just checked their website and they will be closed from July 23 - Sept 21. We did attend the ballet, however. As I remember, it was held in a modrn building. The company was local, but the star of the evening was a St. P dancer who was with the Bolshoi in Mosow, but came once a year to dance before her hometown audience. I think we may have been there for opening night and, yes, it was Swan Lake. Seeing the ballet with a Russian audience was a different experience. For one thing, they presented flowers at the end of each act. Lots of people, especially children, walked on stage to make their personal presentations. The Hermitage is called a Chamber Ballet, whatever that means. I woud think you will get a full production. The corp just may be smaller. I would say Go for it regardless. I just can't imagine being in Russia and not seeing the ballet. You may have already done this, but through the Maryinski site I found information on the Hermitage with a 360 degree tour of the theater and a video of Swan Lake's Pas de Quatre. Marilyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no fuss travel Posted July 21, 2010 #5 Share Posted July 21, 2010 If you are there during their White Nights festival in July, you get all of the top dancers who are normally touring. There are no creature comforts in the theatre, hard benches, but once the ballet starts, you forget all of your discomforts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowornever Posted July 21, 2010 #6 Share Posted July 21, 2010 our experience is similar. Although we were on a Tauck trip 4 years ago, not a cruise, we had an "evening of ballet", but since it was summer, there wasn't a "real" ballet. I, too, have dreamed of going to the Mariinsky, but no chance. We saw a very amateurish performance across the street at the Rimsky-Korsakov which, despite being quite an historical bldg., is also quite the fire trap. It's in a terrible state of repair with peeling paint on the stage wings. So sad. The performers seemed to be advanced (or not so advanced) students who tried but..... One "swan" even swatted a fly away. The following morning we walked from our hotel (Astoria) to the Mariinsky hoping we could get in. A cleaning guy came to the door & I did all sorts of hand gestures to enter but he wasn't a happy cleaner & ignored us...perhaps I should have given him the ruble hand gesture. I suppose we'll have to go in the winter to get inside. We just talked to friends who recently returned from a Tauck trip & she said they went to the Hermitage for their ballet & the dancing was dismal but the experience very nice. Go & enjoy your surroundings...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbb Posted July 21, 2010 Author #7 Share Posted July 21, 2010 Thanks, y'all. Still not sure what I'm going to do but Big Sweetie said to go for it until I read him the comments about the heat. Now he loves the music (bless him) and he'll go to please me, but I'm not sure a melted Big Sweetie would add to cruising fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marilynfaye Posted July 21, 2010 #8 Share Posted July 21, 2010 It's too bad no one has figured out they could pick up some extra rubles to help maintain the building by opening the theater for a few hours a day just for tours. Since most of the tourists seem to be in town when there are few ballets or operas being staged, they could easily schedule so as not to interfere with rehearsals. BTW, love your CC name. My philosophy exactly. (Not at all creative) Marilyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no fuss travel Posted July 22, 2010 #9 Share Posted July 22, 2010 They close down the Marinsky after the White Nights Festival and do not reopen it again until late September if I remember correctly. All the dancers go on holiday for that time as it is too hot for them to perform we were told. It is tired inside as well and the seats are extremely hard. Plywood benches with about 1/4 inch cushion covered with blue material. The higher priced seats are wooden chairs with arms and no cushions. As I stated before if you see it during the White Night Festival it is a heavenly performance. My spouse who has never seen a ballet before in his life enjoyed it even though the theatre was very hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted July 27, 2010 #10 Share Posted July 27, 2010 Why go to the ballet anywhere, even in St. Petersburg, Russia, if the dancing is dismal? There are better ways to spend an evening there, such as on a relaxing canal cruise after a full day of sightseeing, a common summer pleasure among the city's residents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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