Ballet Travel - Tips and tricks?

[Leigh Witchel]

I was thinking tonight about how many of us travel to see a performance or company we're dying to see or just use ballet as a great excuse to travel.

Perhaps we might want to offer some advice or tips for each other, or even inspiration for those contemplating a ballet excursion?

Also, out of curiosity, where have you traveled to see ballet, and where would you like to go?

Most recently, I've gone to Copenhagen, London and Seattle on performance related travel but the city I love returning to most is Paris to see the Paris Opera Ballet. I've also found Paris to be a surprisingly reasonable vacation, because there are numerous small tourist hotels (something much harder to find in NYC). My favorite there is the Hotel Castex.

For cheap travel, I've found the Internet to be a boon, travel bargain hunter's guides are everywhere, one rather inclusive one is at www.smarterliving.com that goes through almost all the steps to ferreting out cheap airfares and hotels.

Places I am curious see ballet? San Francisco and even more, Saint Petersburg. I'm hoping some of the seasoned globetrotters and Russophiles can give some tips about how to deal with schedules, tickets and affordable accomodations!

[Estelle]

The only travel that I've done mostly for ballet was a four-day trip last summer to Edinburgh, to see the New York City Ballet.

There were some not too expensive plane tickets for Paris, and since most hotels are pretty full and expensive during the Edinburgh festival, we stayed at a youth hostel in the center of Edinburgh (URL http://www.syha.org.uk, in case anybody would like to go there this summer). We managed to see four performances in three days, and did some tourism- the weather was very rainy (worse than Marseille in february), but well, who needs sun when you can see Peter Boal dance? ;)

There are quite a lot of places where I'd like to go, but I'd need a bit more time and money...

[Mashinka]

I love to go abroad to see performances and have travelled extensively throughout Europe to see favourite dancers, new productions etc. My favourite destination is also Paris, it’s the city I love best and there is always so much to do and see there

Every summer there are a number of arts festivals held in some outstanding locations. I particularly recommend Athens, where the performances take place in an ancient amphitheatre built into the slopes of the Acropolis. I have seen the Royal Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet there and it was an unforgettable experience..

Russia is a problematic destination for a number of reasons, but once you get there you will have a wonderful time. Basically you have two travel options. Either you go on an all-inclusive tour, which will be expensive and possibly regimented, or you can go as an independent traveller. The latter option is fraught with problems as all your travel arrangements must be in place before you can start to apply for a visa and the cost of your visa will depend on the length of time remaining before departure. Travel agents specializing in Eastern Europe can help but will try to put you into an up market hotel and their flights are rarely the cheapest.

Be sure to read the Time Out Guide or the Lonely Planet guide when choosing a hotel. I haven’t been to St P. for many years but am reliably told by ballet fans that the cheapest tourist hotels are a considerable distance from the city. Be prepared for unusual sights at your hotel such as heavily armed security men and lobbies full of call girls.

I often travel to Moscow and imagine that ticket arrangements in St P. are the same as those in Moscow. You buy your tickets on the street outside the theatre. The ticket touts are actually more knowledgeable than the box office staff and they will all speak English to you. However always be prepared for sudden cast and programme changes. If you know any Russian dancers ask them for information about the dance scene in the city, they will tell you all the latest news about performances that you would otherwise miss.

Finally, the best advice I can give is to learn some Russian before you go. Without a basic knowledge of the language and the alphabet, Russia will seem a very bewildering place.

[Sonja]

Mashinka, thanks for this very interesting information. Like Estelle, I have been dreaming of going to St Petersburg, but your notes confirm everything I heard from the few people I know who went there - going on a package = furiously expensive but probably the best if you don't speak Russian; going as independent traveller = quite difficult.

Personally, I love to go to London, where for "normal" productions at ROH day seats are available, so if you queue early enough you are sure to get a seat on the day and don't have to book months in advance.

Shame on me, I have never been to Paris (yet).

Vienna will come up with some interesting productions in the next season, and the big plus there are the standings - you have to queue for them, but they used to be only 20 or 30 Austrian Shillings (sorry, don't have the exchange rate, but it's REALLY cheap!). Once you have your ticket, you run to the standing places, secure your place by knotting a scarf or similar to the place, and then you have almost about an hour before the performance starts so you can grab something to eat. The best of those standings are just behind orchestra stalls, with a perfect view of the stage - and I have found it incredible, that you are standing just centimetres behind people on seats costing about 2000 Austrian Shilling, if you manage to get into first row!

[Giannina]

I'M GOING TO THE BALLET IN LONDON THIS SUMMER!! In case someone missed that. Can't wait. I've gone to several ballet cities when there was no ballet, Paris of late. I love going to New York. I stay at a hotel right across the street from Lincoln Center (not cheap) and OD on NYCB and ABT. I'd love to see POB in Paris, and I'd love to go to Copenhagen.

Giannina

[Natalia]

Sonja et al - Go to St. Petersburg and stay at the St. Petersburg Int'l Youth Hostel. Beautiful, sparkling-clean building. Just off Nevski Prospekt - Ploschad Vostaniya station...or easy $5 cab ride to Mariinsky. Only up to four 'beds' per room...many rooms with only two beds, so if you are going with a friend, you have your own 'hotel room' minus private bath. Beautiful, clean bathroons just down the hall!

Unlike Europeans, Americans seem to be a bit squeamish about staying in hostels. Once a person gets over this notion that "I must have my private room!" he/she will be liberated to an incredible world of low-cost, yet comfortable, travel. Believe me - you will not regret it. Save money for what means the most to you: ballet tickets!

Check out Hostelling International's website:

www.iyhf.org

...and that of its U.S.-based affiliate:

www.hiayh.org

The St. Petes and Moscow hostels also arrange your visas. Easy-does-it!

I'm hostelling my way around China very soon. That's $6.50/night in Beijing...two blocks from the Forbidden City. Shanghai: $6/night, on the Bund, two Metro stops from Ballet Competition site. Guilin: $4.50/night - breakfast included. Urumqi: $2.50 in a "yurta" tent beside an alpine lake, high in the mountains....and includes an outdoor breakfast cooked by a Kazakh fellow named Rashid! I'm connecting the towns by taking trains, which can be booked ahead of time in each hostel. Dirt-cheap for each leg of the journey in 'hard sleeper' accomodations.

Int'l airfares will 'kill you' if you don't book several months in advance...especially for travel to Europe in high season (summer). I booked my DC-Beijing-DC round trip airfare in mid-December, for travel in August/September. Cost: $720, tax included.

Total budget for five weeks in China: $1,400 including film, gifts, visas, everything.

General advise? Keep an open mind. Travel light. Know what you want to do & arrange what you can ahead of time. Smile a lot and try to show patience & respect always; you are the guest in their country.

[ 06-21-2001: Message edited by: Jeannie ]

[Leigh Witchel]

I was hoping you'd respond, Jeannie!

People can look at the St. Petersburg hostel directly at www.ryh.ru It looks rather pleasant.

I hate to admit it though, but I am one of those "I must have my own room" Americans. I'm not squeamish, just not a great traveler, and an erratic sleeper. I need to feel like my schedule isn't disturbing anyone else. Any suggestions for those that want their own room? (I wonder if you could just pay for two and go alone.)

Also, where can we find a future events in Saint Petersburg website? The Maryinsky site only goes to July (find it at www.balletcompanies.com and then click on Russia and then Kirov Ballet in Russian - have no fear, it is bilingual) Even so, the schedule is very tempting. It seems like there is Opera or Ballet almost every night.

[Natalia]

Ohhh...it probably wouldn't be in the 'hosteling spirit' to do that, Leigh. Sort of an unwritten rule. If you try to do so (pay for both beds...or four beds, to get a room to yourself) it should be in the 'off-tourist season' (October through April) which , lucky for us, is the main opera-ballet season. In summer/White Nights, when folks are lining up for any available bed, it just is not done.

Unfortunatley, St. Petersburg doesn't have a 'Boris' Red Roof Inn' with middle-of-the-road prices.

As for tix, I've never gone to Russia on my own penny for specific performances. I just make sure that I go during a period when all theaters will be in operation (Mariinsky - Mussorgaky/Maly - Hermitage). That's practically any month except August or September, if you want to see the top ballet troupes. Go to the kiosks & see 'what's playing.' I've never had a non-ballet night in St. Petes...ever! If it's not one of the above theaters with regular repertoire, then there are special ballet concerts occurring in any of a number of 'mixed-use theaters' such as October Concert Hall, Alexandrinsky Theater, Anichkov Palace, etc, etc. I'll try to dig-out web site addresses for schedules later. Bolshoi (in Moscow) publishes the schedule for the entire year in advance; not so the Mariinsky or other St. P. theaters. Compared to five years ago, it's a miracle that you can get TWO MONTHS in advance.

Oh...and it doesn't hurt to invest in a Beginners Russian course, if you plan to travel independently. It's not too difficult to learn the Cyrillic Alphabet, so that you can read signs and find your way about. Differentiate between 'Lebedonoe Ozero' & 'Spiachaya krasavitsa' on the ticket-kiosk posters. [For China, I've been taking lessons in Mandarin @ Berlitz, to read important signs & get on the right trains! Company pays for that...so not on my personal budget. ]

[ 06-21-2001: Message edited by: Jeannie ]

[Paquita]

I've only gone to New York to see the ballet. It's a short flight from Toronto, and I stayed at the Marriott- World Trade Centre. They have good weekend rates, and the subway station is nearby ( just through the shopping mall). Subway is probably the cheapest mode of transportation, and I found it quite easy to use. I love the city: great museums and shopping! And it's great because you can see 2 major ballet companies: NYCB and ABT. The only drawback for us Canadians is the exchange rate. I found food to be very expensive in NYC. The price for a sandwich and salad lunch in a "cheap" diner could easily buy me a gourmet dinner back in TO. Oh well, seeing Angel Corella's worth it ;)

I hope I can travel to San Francisco, Paris,and London in the future. I've never been to Paris, is it easy to get by with English? I take French in school but I'm *far* from fluent. Or to Montreal when they have the Gala Des Etoiles. I'd also like to see NYCB in Saratoga, I could drive there. I'd like to visit Japan, if a company like RB, POB, Kirov, etc. toured there. They don't really have a famous home company, but when I went to Osaka, I found the people in general really appreciate and support ballet, a lot more than in Canada. They have a beautiful dance magazine ( I should learn how to read Japanese!) and gorgeous ballet shops ( surprisingly spacious for Japan). But then there's the language problem again. When I went to Japan before, I had a homestay, which is very different from travelling alone. I've also heard that hotels and food there is quite steep. But I'd still love to go there, during spring when the cherry blossoms are in bloom!

[liebs]

For the last several years, we've exchanged homes with people in different European cities. A great way to save money as there are no hotel costs and you can cook instead of eating out. We've arranged our exchanges through Intervac.org. It costs about $90 per year to register.

[mussel]

Leigh, here's the link to NY Times travel section "What's doing in St. Petersburg" including lodging info:

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/05/06/travel/WDPETE.html

[Estelle]

Leigh, sometimes there are hostels with single rooms. For example, the hostel where we stayed last summer in Edinburgh had only single rooms, and they were not too expensive (around 16£)- actually we did the opposite of what you suggested, i.e. booking two single rooms and using one!

I've read that there are also hostels in Paris, and some of them have double or single rooms (price around 115F, breakfast included).

In Paris, it might be interesting for travelers to buy "L'officiel des spectacles" or "Pariscope", both are small weekly guides (costing respectively 2FF and 2.50FF) with lists of cinemas, theaters, museums, exhibitions, etc. I often learnt the existence of some dance performances thanks to that guide (especially modern dance performances in small theaters, or performances in suburbs like Nanterre, Massy, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Bobigny, Evry...)

Also it's quite useful if one is interested in cinema, as the choice in Paris is very large, with a lot of old movies being shown in the small cinemas of the Quartier Latin, and often a tenth of small festivals at the same time (and even sometimes ballet documentaries )

[colwill]

I travel every year to Paris specifically to see the POB dance, My visit this year will be in November. The only exception was last year when the POB danced Le Bayadere at the opening of the Lowry Theatre; I attended all three days!

I visit my daughter in Washington DC every year and go by train to New York to see ABT. This year I also managed to see three ballet performances at the Kennedy Centre. I am not sure if this counts as travelling to watch ballet.

The ultimate travel purely to watch ballet would be to St. P. to the see the Kirov in their home theatre, maybe next year.

Giannina, what performances are you going to in London, maybe we can meet at the ROH.

[Natalia]

Leigh - I was looking at the St. Petes Hostel site and, indeed, it appears that they now have hotel-like 'double rooms' which you can book. When I stayed there 4-5 years ago, they only had "dorm beds". The etiquette for gobbling-up 'dorm beds' to make a private room is different from booking a hotel-like double room. So I think that your problem is solved! It REALLY is a nice place, and the staff are super-helpful in obtaining hard-to-come-by theater tix.

The hostel is also a good 'jumping-off point' for a longer stay (one month +), in which case you can arrange for a small apartment with 'locals.' Don't book the 'apartments' in the classified ads of the St. Petes newspapers, which are at Western prices. Since I stayed at the hostel in 1995, I have found a private apartment...but you have to take the first step to arrive & aclimate yourself to the city, then seek the apartment. The first trip to a certain city is always a bit of a chanllenge; subsequent visits are a breeze.

Good luck! I hope that all of you make it to St. Petes, in due time.

[Giannina]

Colwill, e-mail me at

moons1295@aol.com

Anyone else? E-mail me!

Giannina

[ 06-22-2001: Message edited by: Giannina Mooney ]

[Natalia]

Giannina - Nice little London tip...interesting for all, so I'm not e-mailing you privately:

Unless you have a LOT of luggage, you should consider taking the 'Heathrow Express' (fast train) from Heathrow Airport into mid-town London's Paddington Station. At Paddington, you can easily connect to the regular 'Underground' (tube). Once you clear Customs, just follow the signs to the "Heathrow Express' terminal within the airport....A cheaper alternative is the reguylar Underground (tube) from Heathrow...but takes much longer and not as 'relaxing'

Not sure where your hotel is, but you can connect directly from Paddington Station to the Underground line that stops at Trafalgar Square/The Strand (area of the Royal Opera House and Coliseum theaters). This is MUCH FASTER than going 'overground' by taxi or minibus or automobile...by 'pet peeve' of traveling to London is the HOURS that it can take to get to your hotel from Heathrow, especially if you're in a minivan taht stops at ump-teen different hotels. The Heathrow Express eliminates that hassle. You're off the plane and at your hotel within one hour, maximum!

I thank one-thousand-fold the Ballet.co.uk 'regular' who first told me about the Heathrow Express. Boy, does it save time AND 'nerves'!

[Jacqueline]

Leaving tomorrow for Austria and France. I couldn't find any ballet going on in Vienna while we're there, but got tickets to Paris Opera Ballet. Had to choose between Romeo and Juliet at the new Bastille location, and Midsummer Night's Dream at the Palais Garnier (where I went many times when I lived in Paris MANY years ago) I opted for the latter. Besides the dancing itself, I wanted my daughters to see the fabulous Chagall ceiling. I've never seen the Neumeier Midsummer -- only Balanchine. Does anyone know anything about this production?

[Giannina]

Jeannie....thank you so muchfor the travel tip; we shall definitely use it.

Giannina

[Leigh Witchel]

I'm reviving this topic, hoping that people will start to get their desire to travel back again, and that ballet will be an incentive.

I'm going to Toronto next weekend to see the National Ballet of Canada do Mozartiana, Pastorale and Solitaire (Balanchine/Kudelka/MacMillan), I'll report back after.

As for those contemplating a trip to NYC to see NYCB, scanning the calendar, I'd recommend aiming right after New Year's for the two all-Balanchine programs on January 2nd and 3rd.

How about other cities? Any natives want to mention upcoming season highlights?

[LMCtech]

SFB's Program V looks very promising if you like to see new ballets (which I do). It runs from April 2-13. Joanna Berman's farewell solo will be on this program.

[Estelle]

December and the end of November might be an interesting period to go to Paris, because there are three series of performances at the Paris Opera overlapping:

-a "homage to Kochno" including Balanchine's "Prodigal son" (Nov 25- Dec 11)

-Nureyev's "Bayadere" (Nov 17- Jan 5)

-a Robbins- Li- Fokine- Nijinsky mixed bill

(Dec 19- Jan 4)

Plus a free program by the Conservatoire de Paris

around Dec 15, and probably some other programs in suburb theaters.

[NO7]

Entirely agree with Mashinka, going to Russia without basic knowledge of Russian language can be a nightmare. But once you know your way around in the city, it's more than wonderful. I usually plan to see the Kirov perform in their home country or anywhere during the winter. Less crowded, beautiful scenery, cheap accommodation, etc. As Jeannie said, St Petersburg Int'l Youth Hostel is perfect for budget travel, especially during winter. You can hail a cab from Mariinsky at night for an incredibly cheap rate (compared to London) or even jump on a bus or trolley back to the Hostel. Very easy. If you're lucky, you may bump into the dancers at the bus stop, like myself coming across Veronika Part last year. For those interested in going to the Mariinsky Ballet Festival II, it's wiser to make an advance booking for tickets. Try emailing Ms.Churilova (only if she's still working there!) at maria@mariinsky.ru

For the time being, I'm dreaming to go to see the Kirov at, according to Kevin Ng, the MET next July and Beijing, Shanghai in September.

[ November 02, 2001: Message edited by: NO7 ]

[samba38]

Hotel Castex! I stayed there a few years ago with a Rick Steves tour group. You've seen Steves' shows on PBS - Europe Through the Back Door. His books are the absolute best for independent travelers on a low budget who have outgrown the backpack/sleep-on-the-station-floor days but still want flexibility and convenience. Sad for me though, when i was in Paris there was no ballet that week!

[liebs]

I'm going to Amsterdam at the end of March and want to see the Dutch National Ballet. For any Dutch posters, should I order tickets online or can I wait til I get there?

Also, any one where I could take open, adult ballet classes in Amsterdam.

Other suggestions on dance events would be most welcome as well.

[Kevin Ng]

I have travelled to Amsterdam from London quite a few times in the past to see the Dutch National Ballet, e.g. in their Balanchine programme. I normally bought tickets before the performance, and didn't have any problems on those occasions.

[ February 17, 2002: Message edited by: Kevin Ng ]