Ranking big ballet cites for "liveability"

[bart]

The May 5-11 Economist has a long Special Report on cities around the world. One feature is a table of the "Global livability rankings, 2005. I thought it might be interesting to see how the cities most reported on Ballet Talk fare in the judgment of the Ecnomist Intelligence Unit.

I've left out most cities on the list, which -- although many do have ballet companies -- are rarely discussed on BT.

Ranking / City

Tied 2 Sidney

Tied 2 Vienna

Tied 5 Toronto

Tied 11 Copenhagen

Tied 11 Frankfurt

Tied 16 Paris

Tied 20 Berlin (this is for Vladimir Malakhov)

Tied 26 Amsterdam

Tied 33 Boston

Tied 33 Lyon (this is for Estelle)

Tied 33 Miami

Tied 33 Chicago

Tied 33 Seattle

Tied 33 Madrid

Tied 41 Washington DC

Tied 47 Houston

Tied 47 London

Tied 47 Los Angeles

Vancouver is all by itself at #1. Any ballet there?

Sorry: No New York City, San Francisco, St. Petersburg, or Moscow on the list. Apparently great ballet was not one of the variables they factored in.

Any thoughts?

[carbro]

Sorry: No New York City, . . .

New York's liveability is too obvious to be commented upon. One takes it for granted without noticing, like air. :rolleyes: Edited May 11, 2007 by carbro
To note another lost smiley :(

[Petra]

I don't live in NYC but I echo carbro's sentiment. I actually question the validity of a list of liveable cities that leaves NYC out...

I haven't been to any of the other cities you mention as being left out, bart, but I assume that security issues would be at least one reason that the Russian cities aren't very liveable.

[Leigh Witchel]

Sorry, without quality of resident ballet company factored in, this is no Livability Index:

May I suggest a few changes, weighted more properly by things that are really important?

My own personal list:

New York

London

Paris

San Francisco

Toronto

Saint Petersburg

OK, so I factor in equally proximity of good friends as well as quality of ballet company. But really, what other factors are there?

[aurora]

clearly they didn't take into account public transportation either!

LA on there and NYC not?!

what *were* the criteria?

Aurora, non-driver

[bart]

what *were* the criteria?

Will have to examine this. Their Pocket World in Figures 2007 Edition has a "Highest Quality of Life" and a "Lowest Quality of Life" table, that utilize "39 factors ranging from recreation to political stability." I am assuming that this "Livability" list is based on this, only converting it to ranking system. "Cultural" is one of the factors. The others include "political, economic, medical, educational, public-service, recreational, consumer-goods, housing, and environment." I assume there is some kind of arbitrary process by which each is assigned its own weight.

And Leigh, you got 3 out of 6. That's halfway to being an economist!

[artist]

In addition to this liveability article, almost a year ago there was the happiness ranking in which Copenhagen won.

Some factors to this scoring:

A nation's level of happiness was most closely associated with health levels.

Prosperity and education were the next strongest determinants of national happiness.

Mr White, who is an analytic social psychologist at the university, said: "When people are asked if they are happy with their lives, people in countries with good healthcare, a higher GDP [gross domestic product] per capita, and access to education were much more likely to report being happy."

He acknowledged that these measures of happiness are not perfect, but said they were the best available and were the measures that politicians were talking of using to measure the relative performance of each country.

"It is also notable that many of the largest countries in terms of population do quite badly," he said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/5224306.stm

some of these could be acknowledged in the criteria

[Mel Johnson]

Doubtless, Berlin will continue to thrive thanks to the continuing presence of Vladimir Malakhov, but I cannot help but observe, it was certainly helped by the en passant presence of "our" Daniil Simkin, who now graces Vienna, and may indeed contribute to that city's high ranking.

[Hans]

I recall a study that was done on happiness that found that the happiest countries were generally small and pretty (Denmark, Iceland, the Bahamas--but of course, I think we'd all be happy if we went to the Bahamas ).

[carbro]

. . . And found the BalletTalk Ballet of the Bahamas!

Life is good!

[richard53dog]

the Bahamas--but of course, I think we'd all be happy if we went to the Bahamas ).

But how much ballet is there in the Bahamas??????????????

[Helene]

"But first, a school" and if Hans is there...

[SandyMcKean]

Vancouver is all by itself at #1. Any ballet there?

Yes there is, but from a single performance I saw during PNB's "Celebrate Seattle Festival" when the Ballet British Columbia came here to Seattle, I would not rank it among the ones typically discussed here.

[Helene]

Vancouver is all by itself at #1. Any ballet there?

Yes there is, but from a single performance I saw during PNB's "Celebrate Seattle Festival" when the Ballet British Columbia came here to Seattle, I would not rank it among the ones typically discussed here.

I've got to agree. I'd go to Vancouver to see a program each year, because I liked the dancers, but most of my travel money will be spent going south, to see Ballet Arizona, San Francisco Ballet, and Oregon Ballet Theatre.

[Leigh Witchel]

What Vancouver does have, so I am told (haven't been there yet myself) is reallllly good Chinese food.

It can't be all bad!

[SandyMcKean]

Ah, now Vancouver itself.....now there's a WONDERFUL city. It has a world class feel, not to mention a setting to die for. You will find not only great Chinese food, but great whatever (dependent perhaps on the old British Empire being at least somewhat near the place-of-origin). Another thing about Vancouver is that it is (not surprisingly ) full of Canadiens -- one of the most open, unpretentious, and hospitable peoples on the planet. If this survey claims Vancouver as the most livable city in the world....it don't surprise me one little bit.

[Helene]

Vancouver is my favorite city on earth, a combination of the best of New York and Seattle, with the exception of the arts, Vancouver Recital Society notwithstanding. The opera is quite good, but the city lacks an acoustically "live" venue, like McCaw Hall -- Queen Elizabeth Theatre acoustics are deadening -- with a tolerable number of rest rooms. (The Orpheum, home to Vancouver Symphony, is impossible in this regard.)

"National" Ballet of Canada makes woefully few trips to the west, and usually brings sell-out rep, like Swan Lake when they finally do deign to show up. Ballet British Columbia is not enough for a ballet-lover to feed on.

If only Seattle were located in Bellingham, or if Peter Boal and McCaw Hall could just be convinced to move just a few degrees of latitude north...

[bart]

And is there no one willing to speak up for San Francisco? The absence of Moscow and New York might have been expected. But San Francisco? Or have things changed since I was last there 20 years ago?

[kickit101]

Ouch, ouch, ouch!! I thought we had good ballet in Vancouver!! Maybe that's because I live there and hear a bit more ... what we DON'T have is one giant ballet co, but so many little things and combination things are going on all the time and I think that makes our dancers better, all the exposure to all the different people. For quality, I don't think any of us would thank you for the National Ballet of Toronto, I will swear the best ballet dancers and choreographers have always come from our town, starting with Lynn Seymour's era and getting better every year. But support? There is no media coverage for the arts in Vancouver, never has been, so silly when so many artists live here. And venue, I totally agree, I like the Michael J. Fox better than the Queen E. ... but I haven't been to the Centre for Performing Arts yet, has anyone? And government funding? Well, we know where that goes ...

I wasn't actually thinking of BBC (modern, really) when I wrote the above though ... more the Goh dancers and some of the other schools. So apparently we produce beautiful dancers but can't keep them. Now I'm very sad.

[SandyMcKean]

And is there no one willing to speak up for San Francisco?

I grew up in SF, and spent half my life there. True, it is a great city, in many ways the best on the west coast (including Vancouver), but since the survey in question looked at criteria that fall under the category of "livability" (whatever that means), I suspect SF fell out primarily because of the cost of living-- in particular housing. Most folks need to commute 60 to 90 minutes each way. Also the population density in California is oppressive. When I moved to Seattle in 1980 (job related), I kept my house just north of SF (the infamous Marin County) thinking there was no way I wouldn't find a way to retrun to my beloved Bay Area. After 2 years in Seattle, I was hooked. You couldn't get me back in California now no matter what. I don't even like the "perfect" weather in the Bay Area anymore -- I call it "boring blue".

[Estelle]

Ranking / City

Tied 33 Lyon (this is for Estelle)

That's very kind from you , but in fact there is very little ballet to be seen in Lyon (as in most France outside Paris, and to a lesser extent Bordeaux and Toulouse, in fact): the home company, the Ballet de l'Opéra de Lyon, schedules only modern or crossover works (e.g. the next season will include works by Jérôme Bel, William Forsythe, Maguy Marin, Merce Cunningham, Trisha Brown and Jiri Kylian, and it was about the same in all the previous seasons) and the Maison de la Danse shows mostly modern companies too (but at least it has the merit that, as far as I know, it is the only theater in French which is dedicated almost entirely to dance).

I'm always a bit puzzled when I see such rankings... Regularly there are some French magazines publishing some rankings of French cities, and of course the ranking never is the same, as the criteria differ. "Liveability" is such a subjective notion...

[SandyMcKean]

Ouch, ouch, ouch!! I thought we had good ballet in Vancouver!!

You do.....and you are lucky enough to be only 2.5 hours away from an even better one! Seattle "should not" have the quality of company we do.....but we do. An amazing kink in the universe. Come down and take advantage of it. Why Kent Stowell, Francia Russell, and Peter Boal all ended up here in this once forgotten NW corner of the USA I don't know. Somehow the Gods smiled on us. (I'll bet you one thing: much of our "luck" depended on the quality of the PNB ballet school.)

BTW, I was captivated by Makaila Wallace the one time I saw Ballet BC. So much so that I will be travelling the 2.5 hours north to see more of the entire company -- besides then I get to stay in my favorite city!

P.S. PNB isn't a "giant company" either. It has about 45 dancers and accoording to Boal is unlikely to grow beyond 50. We are also not a repetory company; there are 5 or 6 fixed programs per year each lasting perhaps a month.

[Old Fashioned]

True, it is a great city, in many ways the best on the west coast (including Vancouver), but since the survey in question looked at criteria that fall under the category of "livability" (whatever that means), I suspect SF fell out primarily because of the cost of living-- in particular housing...Also the population density in California is oppressive.

I suspect those are the same reasons New York didn't make the list. As much as I love New York, I live in a tiny, dingy apartment and I miss having a car around (mainly because the nearest grocery store is several blocks away). I don't mind commuting by public transportation, but the subway system could use an update. The one in DC is cleaner, easier to get in and out of (escalators), and let's you know when the train is arriving.

If liveability goes by cultural institutions alone, Havana would be up there.

[kickit101]

Yes, we are all very grateful for PNB! But the more I think of this thread, the more I agree that we are not a ballet town ... not really. BBC is very cool, but also very small and very modern. And it's not that I covet anyone else's big company, I just really want one of our own, with our own dancers. But first a school, yes, but when the company?! How many decades? I want a thundering big company with money for sets and costumes and a beautiful theatre and a home for all of our own beautiful dancers who keep going across the globe, anywhere but home every year. And until we get it I humbly thank you for all of your compliments ... but we are not worthy. I'm embarassed for us. And nobody had better mention the Canucks to me this week!

PS Example of how not a ballet town we are: one of the Goh dancers won a bronze medal at Varna this year. The absolute only mention of it (or any of their other medals, I think) in the Vancouver media was in a free flyer that appears on the buses (not the front page). The headline, if I recall correctly, was "Ballerina Bags Bulgarian Bronze". Sigh. Our arts section is basically the movie listings ... our sports section, on the other hand ...

[SandyMcKean]

......but we are not worthy. I'm embarassed for us.

.....so Canadian