ROYAL BALLET AND OPERA - new name for Royal Opera House

[Geoff]

15 minutes ago, FionaM said:

This is an important change and one that highlights ballet as maybe the most important performing art at this venue.  No longer just an understudy to the opera.  Public perception is everything.

 

As ballet lovers it’s important that we advocate for and support this change.  

There is an irony in being invited to celebrate ballet as now the “most important performing art”. Just at the point the company has announced an entire season without a single 19th century ballet, I believe for the first time in its history. 
 

What exactly do they mean by “ballet”, which the name change is intended to highlight? 

 

[FionaM]

Well we are in the 21st century.  
 

And there are plenty of now quite old (!) 20th century ballets classics in the 24/25 season:

 

Ashton’s CINDERELLA 

created in 1948

> 76 years ago

 

Cranko’s ONEGIN

created in 1965

> 59 years ago

 

MacMillan’s ROMEO & JULIET

created in 1964

> 60 years ago

 

These are all ‘ballet’ I’m sure you’d agree.  

 

 

 

Edited June 21 by FionaM

[Dawnstar]

I was thinking about how recent all next season's programmed works are & musing on what would be the operatic equivalent. The best I could come up with was a season where the oldest works were by Britten. It feels very unlikely that the ROH would ever do a season like that. Of course opera does have a much longer history than ballet but still.