Which ballet would you recommend in St Petersburg

[StLucia]

We have a choice of Swan Lake at the Aurora Theatre or the Alexandrinsky theatre. Not sure which to choose, can you help?

[StLucia]

Its on 22nd August?

[TLCOhio]

We have a choice of Swan Lake at the Aurora Theatre or the Alexandrinsky theatre. Not sure which to choose, can you help?

 

You are right to be asking which of these two theaters will offer the best quality production. Not sure which is better. My guess is at the Alexandrinsky theatre. BUT, the bigger question might be about "TIME". As I recall from when we there, Swan Lake was like a three-hour production. That can be long, long!!??

 

Given all of your walking and intense activity during your limited time in this great town, is that kind of time focus/commitment going to work OK??? Also, some of the theaters have seats that are either wood and/or not that comfortable. We considered doing a ballet while there, but decided against the idea given all of the practical time and physical pressures. It is wise to consider your options and ask the right questions. Good luck!!

 

Others have also noted that summer is out of season for the major, "real" ballet companies and that this summer period may not be the best time to invest in such an effort. Overall, lots to love and see in St. Petersburg. Below are just two of my photo samples to get you excited about your upcoming trip. Need more??

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 90,528 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 74,881 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Here is a unique angle for the spectacular fountains and water from the spectacular Peterhof outside of St. Petersburg. The greatest technological achievement of Peterhof is that all of the fountains operate without the use of pumps. Water is supplied from natural springs and collects in reservoirs in the Upper Gardens. This elevation difference creates the pressure driving most of the fountains for the Lower Gardens, including the Grand Cascade.:

 

 

 

Here is an overall view of the size and scale of St. Isaac's interior in St. Petersburg. It is the largest Russian Orthodox cathedral in this historic city and was dedicated to Saint Isaac of Dalmatia, a patron saint of Peter the Great. The cathedral took 40 years to construct, 1818 to 1858, under direction of a French architect. During Soviet rule, it was nearly destroyed and was made into a Museum of Scientific Atheism. It has been restored to its religious beauty/role. The cathedral's main dome tops out at 333 feet and is plated with pure gold.:

 

[Neuhoftraveler]

Lots of highly specific advice on this question on CC's sister website, TripAdvisor.com, including comparative evaluations of the various ballet companies currently performing. Just use the search function, or look for posts by Veresch and Svetakoshka on the St. Petersburg forum (I'd give a link if I knew how, and if CC allowed it).

 

Re seating comfort, we were at the Mikhailovsky two weeks ago and the seats in the Belle Etage (Dress Circle) were perfectly comfortable. The local experts on TripAdvisor also have good advice on which seats are best-located and which to avoid, as well as which theatre interiors are the most interesting to see.

 

Re logistics, there's plenty of information both here and on TripAdvisor on how to arrange tickets and transportation, even if you don't have an individual visa.

[StLucia]

Thank you for your help, I appreciate your comments, we know it will be a long day but its about making the most of opportunities. It looks as though the Alexandrinsky is the better option but I should be grateful if anyone knows if the seating is okay. I have also asked/looked for help on TA.

Thank you in advance for your help.

[TLCOhio]

Thank you for your help, I appreciate your comments, we know it will be a long day but its about making the most of opportunities. It looks as though the Alexandrinsky is the better option but I should be grateful if anyone knows if the seating is okay. I have also asked/looked for help on TA. Thank you in advance for your help.

 

AGREE!! Take advantage of "making the most of opportunities". Wonderful spirit and approach. St. Petersburg is so wonderful that it builds a real excitement and energy. If your day schedules are done right, you will have a nice flow of riding/sitting, then standing/walking, more chances to rest as you move to your next location, etc. Getting that "pace" correct is important. Good luck!! Let us know any added questions.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 90,602 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 74,978 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[StLucia]

Thank you for your help Terry, I'm sure we will have a wonderful time.

Janet

[GuideDiva]

The first question to consider is your past history of attending ballet.

If you follow the art and attend often I suggest not going in August.

If you are not as actively followers of ballet, the Alexandrinsky Theater is a lovely venue and oldest theater in the city, designed by Carlo Rossi. Both performance will be of lesser calibre than you would see at Mariinsky which is dark in August each year. It should be good but not great or world class, and a nice introduction to ballet.

If you really want to see world class Russian ballet that is the heart of St Petersburg and has become the standard by which ballet is judged, come by in the fall or winter and go to the Mariinsky for the St Petersburg Ballet Company.

You can come visa free now by just taking the ferry from Helsinki and spending up to 72 hours in Russia. Being so close by low cost air from UK to Finland or to Stockholm where another ferry route begins. In the fall or winter, tickets are much easier to get, hotels or apartments are cheaper, there are few tourists or lines and the whole pace of the city becomes more relaxed and friendly.

[Neuhoftraveler]

GuideDiva -- Are you sure the 72-hour visa waiver rule covers passengers arriving by ferry rather than cruise ship and therefore not sleeping on board, and otherwise not accompanied by a licensed guide at all times? There was some discussion of this on TripAdvisor a couple of months ago; according to one SPB local (a tour company employee), the city officials were all for it (and for the additional tourism revenues), but the federal immigration authorities had not been consulted and were calling the ferry operator in for an explanation.

[GuideDiva]

Yes, the rules have been bent into being unrecognizable, to accommodate the ferry line's, "St PeterLine" owner, InFlot, who is well connected and also owns Arctur which is the tour operator which has 90% of the cruise line contracts for shore excursions, plus operates the ports. The reality is that visitors who come via Peterline and buy their "city tour" shuttle bus are able to book a hotel and wander as they please without interference for 72 hours.

I think I know the poster you are referring to but he is not a tour operator employee. He does have a lot of inside information however. He has a consulting business and writes for a cruise trade journal. The immigration authorities were the last to know about the free run of the city policy and apparently backed down after the investigation. They claim they did not find out for a year after i was already running.

Last summer, after 8 months of operation the ferry had its 100,000th passenger, the majority being Russians and Finns, so something is working and the jails are not full of immigration law violators.

[StLucia]

The first question to consider is your past history of attending ballet.

If you follow the art and attend often I suggest not going in August.

If you are not as actively followers of ballet, the Alexandrinsky Theater is a lovely venue and oldest theater in the city, designed by Carlo Rossi. Both performance will be of lesser calibre than you would see at Mariinsky which is dark in August each year. It should be good but not great or world class, and a nice introduction to ballet.

 

Thank you for your excellent advice. I have not been to the ballet for many years, and then a small company, my husband has never been like me sees it as an opportunity not to be missed.

[Neuhoftraveler]

GuideDiva (and please forgive me for the caption of this post, I couldn't help myself) -- This is fascinating information. Let's hope the policy continues. Traveling on a US passport, though, considering the somewhat tense US/Russia relationship you've described on another thread, I might still be leery of relying on that loose an unwritten informal interpretation, something that could change at any time without notice. Finns may not be so sensitive, or have reason to be. (Do Finns otherwise need visas to enter Russia?)

[hoopzone]

I attended the Swan Lake at Alexandrinsky early June. I did not originally plan to see any show as I figured we'd be too tired after a whole day tour. The only reason we went was because my daughter is a dancer and she wanted to see a ballet in SPB. We had a choice of the Swan Lake at Alexandrinsky or some other show at Marinsky. The show was long and we were done around 11:30 pm (and it was still daylight!) The show was not particularly impressive and there was construction outside the theater. My daughter, being a ballerina, also commented that the dancers were not very "together". The main character was very good, although she was substituted with another dancer in the last act (or last 2 acts?) with no explanation given. There were many, many tour buses at the theater so it looks like the show was attended by mostly tour groups and there were many cruise passengers. The theater is beautiful, we were seated in a balcony and could see with no problems.