On a rather cold and wet Sunday afternoon in January I found myself along with many others at The Gate Cinema in Notting Hill, one of my favourite London cinemas. It wasn’t to see the latest blockbuster or Hollywood offering, but to see a live broadcast of The Bolshoi Ballet performing Giselle to a packed theatre in Moscow.
Broadcasting live theatre and even curators tours of exhibitions on large cinema screens has become somewhat the norm in recent years. Until now it wasn’t something I was sure about and certainly not something I had tried. But when I saw this live showing of Giselle from the Bolshoi Ballet advertised I knew it was something I wanted to try. Myself, and many others as it happened, the cinema was full.
The show began with a presenter from the ballet talking to the live viewing audience (us) about the production, introducing the cast and explaining what would happen. She did this in 3 languages – Russian, French and English and interviewed a member of the company who demonstrated the symbolism of some of the dances.
As a cinema audience we were treated to images of the glorious theatre where the production was being staged and as the lights dimmed in Moscow, the lights dimmed in Notting hill too and the ballet began. This two act ballet is highly entertaining with lots of beautiful ensemble pieces. Giselle was played by the impossibly, elegant prima Ballerina Olga Smirnova. She was an absolute joy to watch. The performance moved quickly and I was surprised how quickly the 25 minute interval came along. It was a good opportunity to get up stretch the legs and nip out to stock up on drinks.
The audience in Notting Hill was divided largely into older couples and women on their own. I fell in to the later category! This was a lovely way to experience such a beautiful production. Great views and the close ups and wider angles provided by the camera gave views I think it would be hard to achieve as a member of the audience at the theatre.
Of course this way of viewing a live performance can never take the place of actually being there, but it was highly enjoyable. If anything I felt the lack of atmosphere to be a down side to seeing a ballet in this way. A few people in the audience (including me) clapped but it certainly wasn’t rapturous. Maybe this was a reflection of the demographics of the audience. There isn’t quite the frisson of excitement which is one of the exciting things about seeing a live performance in the flesh. Despite this it is a lovely way to see something which might not other wise be possible or even accessible. Tickets will be considerably cheaper than being at the live event, and it is something I would do again. As someone who loves the arts and culture in its many forms and enjoys the quieter side of London this was a lovely couple of hours of cultured calm.
If you think you might like to see the Bolshoi Ballet Live, they are broadcasting a number of other live performances during the next three months. You can find out more here.
