St Petersberg ballet

[catperson02]

We are going to St Petersberg on the Eclipse in August 2016 and I am considering booking the evening excursion to the ballet. Both my daughters dance to a high standard and we have seen many major ballet companies when they have toured the UK.

The tickets for the 3 of us will be in the region of £300 and I am conscious of the fact that if we are going to spend this amount we may have to curtail any tours for that day (I don't imagine that snoring during the performance would go down well and it would be a very expensive sleep!)

I have read somewhere that the Kirov ballet do not perform in August and I would really appreciate any advice.

[WestLakeGirl]

As we recall, this excursion does not see the Kirov, but a lesser company.

[Froxfield]

Take care here. If you sign up for one of the ship's (or other commercial tour operators for that matter) tours you will likely not get taken to the Mariinskiy and the Kirov. There are at least two troupes performing pretty much for tourists at the Hermitage Theatre and the Alexandriinskiy Theatre. Younger dancers too I suspect. Mostly you get Swan Lake, although the rep may vary a little.

 

I have lived in Moscow and been to the Bolshoi and the Kremlin Ballet etc. Judged by those standards, the performances on these tourist trips are "routine". Not having seen touring Russian companies I cannot make a direct comparison for you! But I have been given to understand that some are not quite as good as they are "at home".

 

Having said all that, I did one of these tourist Swan Lakes a couple of years back and had a reasonably enjoyable evening. The theatre itself was quite interesting and quaint and certainly more intimate than the Mariinskiy (which is pretty grand): I can't speak to the ballet at the Kirov as I have only been to opera there. One good feature is that you most certainly won't have to suffer Valery Gergiev conducting one of these tourist shows.

 

There is plenty of information on these tourist ballets on the internet. Try a bit of Google and you will also likely find some YouTube clips.

 

On balance, I wouldn't pass up visiting the Catherine Palace and Peterhof (or the Hermitage Museum) for one of these performances but do do your own research before trusting my opinion!!

Edited December 28, 2014 by Froxfield

[cruisestitch]

I concur -- don't give up the chance to see one of the palaces or museums in order to go to the ballet. You won't be seeing one of the premier companies, just a "tourist-oriented" performance.

[Trainer]

A few years ago on a Princess cruise, we did this ballet experience. It was a ship excursion and it was at night so no need to skip Catherine's Palace, which was incredible. I don't remember which theatre we went to but it had been recently renovated and was gorgeous.

The seats were excellent, orchestra, center, about 10th row. Yes, we saw Swan Lake and

thoroughly enjoyed the evening. We like ballet and was glad it was not one of the more esoteric Russian ballets.

We had done a daytime tour, came back to rest a while and then went to the theatre. Transportation was included from and back to ship. I would definitely take your daughter to see this if she is interested in ballet.

[Project_gal]

As we recall, this excursion does not see the Kirov, but a lesser company.

 

A very much lesser company!

[orchestrapal]

A very much lesser company!

 

Agree. Save your money and attend to the Royal Ballet Covenkt Garden for a first class experience. ( sure you've already been there)

[dwhe]

Not being a connoisseur of ballet I intend to totally ignore the advice given here and attend a performance whilst in St Petersburg next June.

 

And I will enjoy it very much :D

[4774Papa]

We saw Swan Lake at the Mariinsky. It was fantastic. We were on a Vantage river cruise.

[Christine Frances]

If you book your own tickets at a venue/performance of your choice (SPB will help you) SPB tours will arrange for your tour visa and your pick up and drop off at the ship. We toured with them ( 10 of us - friends & family) for two days and they were exceptional. One thing though, some of us were interested in going to the ballet but the days are so full and you are almost culturally overloaded with the beauty & history of this port, that when we got back to the ship for dinner we could not summon the energy to go out again. We were glad/sad we did not book the ballet:)

 

 

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[Happy Cruiser 6143]

How many times are you going to get to St. Petersburg? I recommend you make the most of it.

 

I thought I would be tired after touring all day, but the ballet was wonderful. Our tour operator (Alla) booked the tickets for us and arranged for transportation. We selected the ballet we wanted to go to, not the tourist version of Swan Lake. I really think you should do it, especially since your daughters are interested in ballet. But don't skip the daytime tour; that is interesting as well. Just book it all through a private tour operator. You'll spend less and have a much better experience.