We're not alone here in our current soul-searching about the future of ballet organisations: last week in Toronto the artistic directors of some of the world's leading ballet companies gathered at a summit hosted by the National Ballet of Canada (NBC) to discuss the challenges facing the art form, writes Helen Meany
The Royal Danish Ballet, English National Ballet, New York City Ballet and Stuttgart Ballet were among the classical repertory companies represented at the "PPF" (past, present and future) Summit, which was held behind closed doors. On the agenda were the shrinking audiences for ballet, state-
funding versus private, and the economic pressures that make artistic risk-taking difficult.
"It could be that we find in the end that it all comes down to money," NBC's artistic director James Kudelka told the Canadian National Post. "But with some of the greatest minds in the field gathered at the same table I hope we can go deeper, to a philosophical level." Grant State, choreographer with NBC, said that he hoped the summit would inspire the directors to recognise that they had a responsibility beyond keeping their own companies financially afloat. "Ultimately, it is the artform itself that they must uphold. To do this, they have to find a balance between tradition and innovation. The audiences for big ballet tend to be conservative, but if you pander to them too much all you will be left with is a repertory of dried out relics."
WHEN the Anna Livia International Opera Festival was first announced in 1999, it aimed for "predominantly Irish" casting, the creation of opportunities for emerging singers, and a repertoire somewhere between the mainstream and the rarities revived in Wexford. The casting certainly has created new opportunities for Irish performers (with a strong female bias) and, with productions of Verdi's Il trovatore and Flotow's Martha announced for July (Sunday 7th to Sunday 14th), the repertoire has moved into safer territory. "The festival is now unashamedly about popular opera," says manager Bea Kelleher. "Extending the operatic repertoire is done very well by the Wexford Festival and Opera Ireland." Where Anna Livia scores is by pitching its ticket prices at levels below those of Wexford and Opera Ireland. A quarter of the seats are priced at €12.50 and on the day, all unsold seats are available at €7.50. One popular measure that will be missing from the Gaiety Theatre in July is surtitles. "Our artistic director, Bernadette Greevy," says Kelleher, "feels that surtitles are just a distraction." Greevy takes to the boards as Azucena in Il trovatore (with Luis Rodriguez, Mary Callan-Clark and Simon Neal). Anne Sheridan is the Lady Harriet in Martha, with Terje Andersen, Mark Beesley and Anne Marie Gibbons. Information and booking from 01-6617544.
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