Protest at the Royal Ballet

[Mme. Hermine]

Is there anyone who recalls a performance of the Royal Ballet in New Y ork in the late 70s/early 80s attended by Prince Charles, at which protestors tried to disrupt the performance and were escorted out of the theatre?

[carbro]

Yes, and no.

I remember the protest over the Northern Ireland issue in Dante Park across from Lincoln Center Plaza. I vaguely recall having heard about disruptive protests inside the Met. I know for certain that I was not in the house that night.

Do you remember the bomb scare the delayed what nonetheless turned out to be Alicia Alonso's triumphant return to New York? It caused a one-hour-plus delay in the performance. I do not remember if this was her guest performance with ABT or -- more likely -- the New York debut of Ballet Nacional de Cuba. The ladies' handbags (and I assume all other totes, briefcases, etc.) had to exhibit a colored tag to prove that their handbags had passed inspection at all subsequent Cuban performances for several years. A friend of mine amassed quite a collection.

What prompted your question, Mme. Hermine?

[Mme. Hermine]

Nothing very dramatic, just that I was listening to an old interview of Frederick Ashton by Dick Cavett in which he referred to it, and I hadn't heard of it before. Ashton said that it wasn't so bad, that the protesters were ushered out and the dancers kept going, and Cavett seemed surprised that the dancers hadn't stopped!

I remember that Cuban incident because although I wasn't living in New York yet, I had come from Chicago for that performance and remember being searched and having that little thing to wear; that was I think the night after which there had been a bomb that blew out the windows in Avery Fisher Hal on one side, and they had roped that off. What with the performance starting late and the applause lasting so long after it...nonetheless I remember a wonderful Giselle that evening.