Would you like to see Cinderella performed by a male dancer?

DEFINITELY NOT!!!!!

I know that Cinderella is a fairytale and is sometimes the subject of panto; but ballet is not designed to be performed to young children. Obviously they can go if they are able to sit still long enough, but they are not the core audience.

I don't understand why people keep linking ballet with pantomime, and expecting the ballet to be suitable for children. A reimagining of a familiar story is something that adults should be able to cope with (as could most children, to be fair).

I would be more concerned about young children being unable to concentrate and making a nuisance of themselves than that they wouldn't understand. I still think that the audience should be able to choose which version to attend - I don't know which I would opt for, but I'm not keen on having decisions like that taken out of my hands when I am paying for the ticket.

I remember going to the Pantomime every Christmas when I was young. The Principal Boy was always played by a female, and the Dame was always a male comedian. We expected it. Not sure why such a fuss is being made by some over this.

my husband did a fair bit at home too but in general he was not that common for his generation. Looking at my SILs nothing much has changed. But great to hear that others men are stepping up . My comment was tongue in cheek though.

Paperbackwriter

Nanatoone

No my kind of thing no. I can’t see what the point is. How many men have been left at home doing the housework while the women were out at a party.

How many men? Not nearly enough!

Um, my husband frequently does! He's not a party person, I hate housework.

Nanatoone

No my kind of thing no. I can’t see what the point is. How many men have been left at home doing the housework while the women were out at a party.

How many men? Not nearly enough!

eazybee

No I would not, particularly if I wasn't informed before hand. Would this dancer be en pointe? Pretending to be female?
I saw Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake and I did not enjoy it at all; I thought it was pretentious and desperately trying to be different. Why not tell a new story with an all male cast, not mimicking a traditional form.

En pointe - possibly. If any of you get the chance, do go and see the Ballet Trocadero de Monte Carlo. Male dancers doing various traditionally female roles (including a piece from Swan Lake). They mix ballet with comedy and it's wonderful.

I’m reminded of when my girls went to ballet class. Well over 100 pupils, 5 or 6 of them boys. Guess who got the starring roles every year at the ballet school’s annual gala performance?

Mumofthree
and I wouldn't mind sering Cinders as a male either
That’s exactly the point.
You wouldn’t mind, so you could choose to go and pay a lot for your ticket, unmoved by whatever appeared on the stage.
I would mind paying out for a ticket, only to find I’ve paid for something I don’t want to see.

I’d definitely go, it’s a great initiative by Scottish Ballet. I think people need to move with the times and embrace change. By not doing so our generation gets a bad name and rightly so

Ailidh

I definitely would.
I remember seeing Matthew Bourne's all male Swan Lake many years ago, and it was amazing.

Oh, me too Ailidh, it was beautiful beyond words.....and I wouldn't mind sering Cinders as a male either

Ailidh

I definitely would.
I remember seeing Matthew Bourne's all male Swan Lake many years ago, and it was amazing.

I saw it on tv it was stunning!

hollysteers

And wouldn’t a Princess rescuing a downtrodden chap be a strong female role🙄

Indeed it would.

And wouldn’t a Princess rescuing a downtrodden chap be a strong female role🙄

Chestnut

Well it's up to people to vote by going or not going. I wouldn't go, I like my fairy stories traditional. Let's see if it's another case of 'go woke, go broke'.

Why is it "woke"? A ridiculous word for a ridiculous concept. The world has always changed, from the moment of its inception, to now, and will continue to do so! It seems to me that things are only "woke" to people that the change has no direct connection too. For instance equally rights for women wasn't considered woke by women, but you can bet you life if would have been by men, had that concept been around then! Just as equal rights for gay and trans people isn't considered woke by gay and trans people, but is by far too many straight and cis people. This version of Cinderella is controversial but is simply progressive. The musical Hair was considered controversial nd then progressive when is opened, but is now seen as a classic. Times change! Stick the word "woke" back where it belongs, please!

undines I may have misunderstood you and if so I apologise. In this production, from what I read, the male character will be danced by the male in appropriate costume, likewise the female character. There isn't to be any 'cross dressing' or transgendering. It's just in one version the cinderella character will be an oppressed male rescued by his princess, while the other version will be the traditional oppressed female rescued by her prince.
I do agree with your final sentence, science will win out every time.

Freya5

Cinderella is a strong female, so no I wouldn't waste my money ey. Why can't they think up something original, instead of changing things to suit their woke agenda. Of course they have no imaginative writers nowadays,see disney and black snow. All these years traditional fairy tales have stood the test of time, loved by all, so now into confusing children, which of course is their aim.

Why do all women have to be a strong female these days?
In real life, she might have been left with all sorts of issues after a cruel childhood. She had no choice.

I want to be given the choice of what I’m paying for, not fobbed off with someone else’s choice.

That would be my objection to this production. I'm not against the switch of oppressed and saviour characters, but I'd definitely want to know which one I was paying to see. I don't think the producers can be that confident of support for the switched roles version which is why they're not prepared to operate the versions transparently. Perhaps if ticket sales are slow they'll reconsider this approach.

A tradition is not a 'stereotype' and a classical ballet is not a pantomime. More scope, originality and wonderful creativity are all possible within the tradition. Want new roles? Find new stories. In Shakespeare's day men played women's roles because women were suppressed. Is something weirdly similar happening by the back door now? I like the old male and female roles, as given to us by Mother Nature. Please leave the great majority of us who are happy with our birth-gender the culture that we love. If anyone wants to pretend to be a different gender then they have the liberty to do that in their own lives (and own culture) and I do not have a problem. But in hundreds of years from now their bones will tell the biological truth.

No my kind of thing no. I can’t see what the point is. How many men have been left at home doing the housework while the women were out at a party.

I want to be given the choice of what I’m paying for, not fobbed off with someone else’s choice.
Although I would only pay to see Cinderella as a girl, because that’s the story, if people want to pay for their own preference, that’s up to them.
Where else would you expect people to go and pay for something they don’t want to see?

Sarahr

No. Cinderella is a classic tale. Cinders is a girl. The Prince is a boy. Classic girl meets boy story. I find the changing of history to suit a few people offensive.

In a world where women had to sit passively by waiting for a man to show them attention. We have moved on from that.

Plenty of examples of British royal princesses (and princes) marrying commoners. True they aren't men who were working as drudges but they are still commoners.

No. Cinderella is a classic tale. Cinders is a girl. The Prince is a boy. Classic girl meets boy story. I find the changing of history to suit a few people offensive.

A few years ago I saw Mathew Bournes version of swan lake , where all the dancers were male . It was fabulous . I’m certain a male Cinderella could be just as entertaining as a female.

Not for me thanks