St.Petersburg Ballet & Folklore Excursions & Dress Attire

[oshawa]

We are currently in the process of booking our shore excursions in St. Petersburg. We are considering the ballet or the Folklore but are wondering what the dress attire would be considered for either of these shows. There appears to be negative comments re the ballet and more positive comments re the Folklore so we are interested in receiving comments from cruisers who may have attended either of these excursions.

 

Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.

[TLCOhio]

We are currently in the process of booking our shore excursions in St. Petersburg. We are considering the ballet or the Folklore but are wondering what the dress attire would be considered for either of these shows. There appears to be negative comments re the ballet and more positive comments re the Folklore so we are interested in receiving comments from cruisers who may have attended either of these excursions. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.

 

It is good you have scrolled back and read many of the earlier posts on these subjects. Much depends on your personal tastes and interests. There are a variety of qualities and types for the ballet and folklore offerings in St. Petersburg. A major downside on the ballet there is the fact that some of the programs run three hours. That can be a long time to sit after a busy day touring and then facing another long day. What level of "quality" and activity are you seeking?

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

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[cruiselen]

The quality of ballet performances is different depending on the theater. The best dancers are, of course, with Mariinsky ballet company. Mikhailovsky theater is also good. Other options are usually not nearly as good and basically tourist-oriented. The folk show at Nikolaevsky palace is quite good.

[Bet & Peg]

We attended the FolkLore Show at the Nikolaevsky Palace last year and thought it was a great experience! We had a two-day tour through SBP. At the end of the first day they took us to the Palace, got us inside with our tickets and then the driver came back for us after the show and dropped us off at the Constellation.

 

Before the show and during the intermission they were selling dolls/shawls/etc. in the theater and it was just fun to walk around looking. Also some of the performers were in costume walking around. I think they also had champagne when we first got there. Also during intermission they had some snacks and drinks (free) - it was just enough for us until we got back to the ship about 9pm and then we ate at the Bistro on 5.

 

As far as clothes - we didn't dress up since we hadn't gone back tot he ship - but everyone was rather casual - although we were advised that shorts and tank tops shouldn't be worn.

 

Also, from what we heard, those who ended their tours about 5pm and went right to the ship encountered long lines - most tours ended around 5pm! When we arrived about 9pm we couldn't find anyone there at first! Of course the Russian official did come out to the booth and it took us about 5 minutes (at the most) for the 8 of us to go through customs.

 

Hope this helps!!

[oshawa]

Thanks to all for your responses. Much appreciated.

[KirkNC]

We are still trying to determine if we will have the energy for the Folklore show after a long day with SPB but so many people have positive things to say we might give it a try.

 

Kirk

[Bet & Peg]

Kirk ~ I "hear" you - my DH and I felt the same way and debated much if we'd have the energy to get up early the next day. But I've reported often that, in many ways, it was stress-free days. So while both days were long, at least we weren't menally strees-out.

 

We usually do ports on our own - and have enjoyed the research and deciding what to see and then the accomplishment of taking a train or finding the correct street, etc. But I also admit that there's a certain level of stress being sure its the correct train or street when you don't speak the language! So being picked-up by van and driven to each place was a pleasant experience for once, especially since there were only 8 of us traveling together and not a 40-passanger bus! Even though our guide gave us lee-way to roam a bit and take photos, she was right there making sure we were on time - I don't think I checked my watch once during the whole day!

 

And fellow CCers went back to the ship since not their whole group wanted to see the FolkLore show - they had about 30 minutes to go through customs, change or leave stuff in their room, grab a bit and get back to their van - that would have killed me!! Instead we eight went to a gift shop opposite the palace - strolled around, bought some little gifts or postcards, had a drink & coffee (free - all the guys wanted to do was shop!) By the time we walked into the palace we were completely relaxed and ready for the next part of the day! I think we saw the 7pm show (there's another at 9pm) and were back aboard the ship by about 9pm or a little after.

 

I can't guarentee you'd have the same experience but that was ours - fabulous memories of St. Petersburg! (And we even met the van on-time the next morning - 8am I think!)

[trina2]

Folklore Show: We attended the folklore show "Feel Yourself Russian" at the Nikolaevsky Palace last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. [One tip though: it is "free-seating", and so it could be a good idea to skip the complimentary sparkling wine and grab a good seat - there are some seats with restricted viewing (pillars).] The standard of the performances was excellent - the "cossack" style dancing was amazing, the women dancers were so graceful, the singers and musicians were excellent, and all-in-all, it was a very comprehensive taste of Russian folk music. I have seen a lot of these "folk shows" and this one is certainly one of the best.

 

Now for the ballet: the ballet on offer, "Swan Lake", from cruises/bus tours etc is not the Mariinsky(Kirov), nor the Mussorgsky (Mikhailovsky). [though the cost might have you believing it (equiv. 89 euro each)]. I'm sorry I cannot remember exactly the name of the company or where it was held (this info was lacking at the time of booking...which should have set the alarm bells ringing...and I cannot seem to track it down on the internet) It was held in a small palace (very small stage - a poor set but they were extremely limited for space). The number of swans in the corps was reduced, due to the size of the stage. The theatre was completely full (of tourists only). While the principals were very good, the same could not be said for the corps de ballet - who were all over the place - arms, legs going up and down all over the place - worst synchronisation I've ever seen. Having said that, those in our group who had never been to the ballet before really enjoyed it. I would only recommend it for first-timers. If timing for the dance of the little swans (only 4 of them - and they still couldn't keep time) is important, then save your money.

 

Attire: most were dressed in good casual attire, though there were some who had dressed up for the occasion. Either way, you'll feel comfortable.

[Sammiday]

I think Teresa and I have decided to do the folklore show with spb.

[Alexia68]

We are currently in the process of booking our shore excursions in St. Petersburg. We are considering the ballet or the Folklore but are wondering what the dress attire would be considered for either of these shows. There appears to be negative comments re the ballet and more positive comments re the Folklore so we are interested in receiving comments from cruisers who may have attended either of these excursions.

 

Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

 

Your choice of what to see -classical ballet or Folklore will determine what to be dressed like. It will be perfectly OK to be comfortable and casual for a Folklore performance, and a bit more dressed up ( it doesn't have to be black tie ! ;) ) for a ballet.

Good luck and Have fun!