Jump to content
This Site Uses Cookies. If You Want to Disable Cookies, Please See Your Browser Documentation. ×

NYCB 2010-2011 renewals


Recommended Posts

I just received my renewal. I thought it was for the short fall season. However, it's for the fall, winter and spring seasons!

They want you to renew for the entire year. And there's no option (on the form) to only renew for a season at a time.

I called the subscription office to find out if I was seeing things. They confirmed that you can only renew for the entire year.

I am extremely devoted to NYCB. As some of you know I have a professional (and personal) connection (which is why I don't post about the performances anymore) to many of the dancers. However, this is nuts! I still go to performances three times a week, and have noticed that the house is in need of more bodies to fill the seats (it's pretty depressing). On the other hand, I was just at the Royal Ballet (I was in London last week) and the place was packed.

Of course I'll renew, but I bet that they'll lose many subscribers because of this scheme. This is not smart marketing.

Link to comment
Hi Deborah. I was wondering if you were okay since you hadn't posted for some time. Now I understand why you don't write on the board anymore. Regarding the renewal, is there any option to pay in installments?

You are so sweet Abatt for worrying about me! I appreciate that a lot!

There is an option to pay in installments. You can pay half now and half in a month or so (or something like that).

Link to comment
. . . I . . . have noticed that the house is in need of more bodies to fill the seats (it's pretty depressing). . . .

Several people have commented on all the empty seats, at both NYCB and ABT this month. Is it worse than recent seasons? Does it seem to reflect the struggling economy or just disappointing repertory offerings (or perhaps both)? Along with news of other companies folding or shortening their seasons, this is not good news for the arts...

Is there any information at all about the repertory planned for NYCB next year? In the print New York City Ballet NEWS (Spring 2010), it says subscriptions for 2010-11 will be available in June, with single tickets for fall 2010 in August. I was guessing they'd announce the fall schedule in June. They list some works for fall in NEWS, but it's far from complete, and nothing is listed on the web site.

Link to comment

Based on what I observed during the Winter season at NYCB, the full length ballets (Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty) sold well, especially on weekends. I think some of these rep programs are not of interest to the average ballet audience member. Also, I think a new Wheeldon ballet sells a lot better than certain less esteemed choreographers. I've noticed that the ALL Balanchine programs tend to sell well too. It is disturbing to see so many empty seats at the Koch Theater lately. I think that this new system of requiring subscribers to pay for the fall, winter and spring seasons over only two installments is going to backfire. They will be losing a lot of subscribers.

Link to comment
. . . I . . . have noticed that the house is in need of more bodies to fill the seats (it's pretty depressing). . . .

Several people have commented on all the empty seats, at both NYCB and ABT this month. Is it worse than recent seasons? Does it seem to reflect the struggling economy or just disappointing repertory offerings (or perhaps both)? Along with news of other companies folding or shortening their seasons, this is not good news for the arts...

Is there any information at all about the repertory planned for NYCB next year? In the print New York City Ballet NEWS (Spring 2010), it says subscriptions for 2010-11 will be available in June, with single tickets for fall 2010 in August. I was guessing they'd announce the fall schedule in June. They list some works for fall in NEWS, but it's far from complete, and nothing is listed on the web site.

There's no question that there are many more empty seats than normal (for the spring). We could chock it up to ABT, (now at the Met) but ABT's season just started. I'm guessing that NYCB could have even more empty seats now that they have competition across the Plaza. Such a shame.

I have two subscriptions to ABT too, and the tickets are more expensive than NYCB's. I really hope that NYCB quickly comes up with discounts before the season is over.

As for the rep. Not much is announced yet (it's supposed to be coming "soon."). However, there will be three new ballets by Benjamin Millepied,

Susan Stroman (whom I just saw in the lobby of the Meniere in London on Sunday night. She's co-directing, with Hal Prince, a new Broadway bound musical starring Mandy Patinkin. Unfortunately, it's dreadful so I doubt it's transfer here) and Lynne Taylor-Corbett.

Link to comment
The Lynn Taylor Corbett ballet will be The Seven Deadly Sins, with Patti Lupone, in the Spring of 2011. That was previously announced.

Oh!! Now that's worth renewing early! I worship Patti!

I've seen her in everything she's done (within two hours from NYC).

And speaking of Wheeldon -- I saw "Tryst" at the Royal Ballet over the weekend. I simply loved it!

I wish the NYCB would stage it (I cast it with NYCB dancers while I was watching it. The lead screams, Wendy Whelan!)

Link to comment
When exactly is the Fall Season?

According to the print NYCB NEWS, September 14 - October 10, with a gala on Thursday, October 7. It seems odd that there is nothing about it on the NYCB web site. I gather there was a press release a few months ago that showed up in various places, as I first learned about it here on this site.

For the rep, the print NEWS lists ". . . classic works by Balanchine, including Serenade, Concerto Barocco, and Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet, as well as works by Robbins and Martins. Highlights of the season will also include works created for the spring season Architecture of Dance-New Choreography and Music Festival."

Photos for the fall season story: Glass Pieces, Barber Violin Concerto, Serenade, Fearful Symmetries, Four Seasons. I'm especially hopeful that Glass Pieces will be on the program.

Link to comment

The complete schedule and dates for fall 2010, winter 2011, and spring 2011 are now on the NYCB web site:

http://www.nycballet.com/tickets/2011/renewals.html

I'm impressed that they have posted the exact schedules for the entire year. This really helps people who need to plan travel to see them. I suppose some changes might be made down the road, but this is great news.

September 14 - October 10, 2010

January 18 - February 27, 2011

May 3 - June 12, 2011

Link to comment

I'm surprised that NYCB has bundled all seasons together, when many other arts organizations have created "Mini" and "Make your own" subscriptions. I recently became a subscriber to the Vancouver Symphony through a "Make your own" sub; otherwise, I wouldn't have subscribed, and I might very well have missed most of the concerts to which I'm now subscribed.

Link to comment
I'm surprised that NYCB has bundled all seasons together, when many other arts organizations have created "Mini" and "Make your own" subscriptions. I recently became a subscriber to the Vancouver Symphony through a "Make your own" sub; otherwise, I wouldn't have subscribed, and I might very well have missed most of the concerts to which I'm now subscribed.

The general trend in subscription sales is towards more flexibility, and to re-offer shorter packages as the season progresses. Perhaps that will happen with NYCB -- it seems counter-intuitive to require people to sign up for the entire year in these times, but perhaps they have something else going with this.

Link to comment

This may be an experiment. I don't know this -- just guessing . Subscribing for a year at a time seems like a huge commitment, even with the flexibility offered to subscribers. They may yet offer mini-subs or season subs, but first want to lock in as many as they can for the three-season cycle. Again, just a hypothesis. If the three-season plan gets a bad response, it may prove a one-shot trial balloon.

Link to comment

Seems to me that they've been experimenting for the past few years. Examples include block programming, Tues. and Wed. 7:30 p.m. performances, and I believe the do-it-yourself subscriptions.

They are really trying to attract younger audiences, and to make things easier for their "regulars." I know that I and many other old and oldish-faithfuls seem to react negatively to just about ANY change, but that's only human. TO ME many of their test balloons seem either objectionable or futile, but I'm not a member of the new, young target group. But whatever they do, my deep hope is that they are successful in the goal of reaching new audiences and retaining the old, as well as making new ballets and keeping the old as well.

Link to comment

This particular change will have the effect of alienating and driving away their most loyal subscribers, who have multiple subscriptions. It's very difficult to pay for multiple subscriptions all at once. The fact that they are allowing you to pay in 2 installments (as they have always done) is helpful, but not helpful enough. The Met Opera allows its subscribers to pay in FIVE consecutive monthly installments. Also, it bothers me that, unlike every other subscriber based organization I have ever encountered, NYCB subscribers do not get a priority purchase/exchange week in advance of the general public. In fact. we don't receive our subscription tickets until several weeks AFTER the box office has opened to the public.

Link to comment

I have to agree. I'm one of those longtime subscribers and the only way this is going to work for me is to expect to swap tickets a lot - becuse i sure don't know now what my schedule wil be in May 2011. If we have to renew now, it seems only fair to make those swaps easier and more available. This plan also seems designed to reduce the number of subscribers -- why?

Link to comment

One thing the Metropolitan Opera found when the house was more empty than usual was the way to sell more tickets and subscriptions was to have a very flexible exchange policy. When the house started to fill up, they reverted to a stricter policy.

Perhaps NYCB will adjust to market conditions as well.

Link to comment

I have not subscribed to NYCB since the 1970s, and I don't know whether there have been changes since, but about ten years ago, I went to exchange a ticket for a friend who was a subscriber. Problem was, the original subscription ticket had already been exchanged, and this was the replacement. Since it was not marked as a subscription ticket, they refused to exchange it.

Quite a change from the old days, ca. 1987, when family illness called me out of town during the final week of the season. I presented single-purchase ticket to Dotty (remember Dotty?), who refunded it -- in cash -- despite the "Non-refundable" caveat on the ticket.

Link to comment

I always remember the ticket people who are kind and make an occasional exception or suggest an alternative I hadn't thought of.

And then I remember things like having bought a ticket or maybe a pair to the Seattle Symphony gala opening. They were still advertising tickets when a friend called to say he was going to be in Seattle, and that he'd like to compare the acoustics in the year- or two-old Benaroya Hall to those at the Myerson in Dallas. His brother was coming too, and he preferred that we sit all together. I called the box office, and explained the situation, acknowledging that I was asking for an exception and a major favor to return the original(s) and get a set together, and if it wasn't possible, I understood. I got a rather snippy and begrudging response. I would have preferred a "no" to being treated like a bratty child. Obviously, I haven't forgotten that either.

Link to comment

I have two Second Ring, Row A subscriptions and plan to drop one of them. I'm not doing this because of the new scheme or the prices. It's just that it's very hard to find a complete evening of ballets to sit through. Even some of the All Balancbine programs are very odd programming. Some programs end with Episodes. What planet are the programmers on? In Balanchine's day, Episodes was a middle ballet -- never a closer. The concept of appetizer, entree and dessert type of programming seems to have gone the way of the dodo. There is even a program where Slaughter is first! Have the programmers ever seen these ballets, or are they just names to them?

Link to comment

No "Symphony in C" all year, that I could see. Not a very exciting schedule at all.

I feel bad for the dancers. Exchange limitations, subscriber confusion and renewal reluctance don't make for large and lively audiences — or fulfilling and satisfying performances. Sounds like a losing situation all around.

I guess I won't be returning to the Koch in the foreseeable future. All right ... MAYBE in the fall.

Link to comment

I received a more elaborate renewal mailing with pictures of the principals and Nilas Martins is not in it. I guess that he is quietly retiring. It is sort of sad, he was never the dancer his father was and after the drug incident he seemed to completely withdraw.

CAM

I just received my renewal. I thought it was for the short fall season. However, it's for the fall, winter and spring seasons!

They want you to renew for the entire year. And there's no option (on the form) to only renew for a season at a time.

I called the subscription office to find out if I was seeing things. They confirmed that you can only renew for the entire year.

I am extremely devoted to NYCB. As some of you know I have a professional (and personal) connection (which is why I don't post about the performances anymore) to many of the dancers. However, this is nuts! I still go to performances three times a week, and have noticed that the house is in need of more bodies to fill the seats (it's pretty depressing). On the other hand, I was just at the Royal Ballet (I was in London last week) and the place was packed.

Of course I'll renew, but I bet that they'll lose many subscribers because of this scheme. This is not smart marketing.

Link to comment
I received a more elaborate renewal mailing with pictures of the principals and Nilas Martins is not in it. I guess that he is quietly retiring. It is sort of sad, he was never the dancer his father was and after the drug incident he seemed to completely withdraw.

CAM

Could be. Or it could be like the San Francisco Ballet website drama of last year, where names dropped and reappeared, except you can't do that once a brochure goes out.

Summer waiting for official anything is hard.

Link to comment
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...