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

hollysteers

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

Indeed it would.

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!

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

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

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’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?

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

DEFINITELY NOT!!!!!

I don’t think this is the same as theatrical custom, like principal boys and characters like Prince Orlovsky in Die Fledermaus being played by women, but just a bandwagon being jumped upon to boost ticket sales.

I think the idea of making Cinderella a man is ridiculous.
But I wouldn't go to any ballet. The way classical ballet dancers are produced is tantamount to abuse in too many cases.

Jzpap

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

🤣🤣🤣
If move with the times means paying for things I don’t want, I’ll stick with your casual ageism. Jzpap.
Let’s move with the times . . .

Would everyone else book cinema seats for an evening out, but you won’t know till you get there whether you’re watching violence, romance or sci-fi.

Or order an expensive duvet which may be duckdown or polyester wadding, but you won’t know till you get it.

Or order an expensive box of chocolates but you won’t know whether it will be white, milk or dark chocolate until you open it.

Or make a restaurant reservation, but you won’t know whether your table is indoors or outdoors until you arrive.

Do I hear every generation going for a lack of choice?
Are you really saying moving with the times means no right to personal preference?

I like to know what's on the packet before I buy something.

Or order an expensive box of chocolates but you won’t know whether it will be white, milk or dark chocolate until you open it.?

It's all chocolate to me though and as a chocoholic, I'd eat any of them.

icanhandthemback

^Or order an expensive box of chocolates but you won’t know whether it will be white, milk or dark chocolate until you open it.?^

It's all chocolate to me though and as a chocoholic, I'd eat any of them.

Or to quote Forrest Gump:
"My mom always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.”

I always look at the leaflet!

Well I've seen Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake several times and his "vampire" Sleeping Beauty is marvellous. Why not change things around? It all sounds like fun.

I think that Scottish Ballet is fed up with putting on the same old classics every Christmas and just want to stir things up a bit.

Deedaa

Well I've seen Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake several times and his "vampire" Sleeping Beauty is marvellous. Why not change things around? It all sounds like fun.

Why not? But why not let people make their choice. For me, that’s the main issue.
That sounds like fun is a choice for people to make for themselves, not for someone else to make for them.
If they weren’t worried, they wouldn’t need to make it a secret.

Exactly Mollygo. I could be tempted by a new take on an old classic but I want to know before I spend ££££ on a ticket what I'm buying in to. It seems disrespectful to me to say "you can pay ££££ for a ticket and we'll decide what you get to watch". I can't think of any other situation where I'd be expected to hand over my money with no certainty of what I would receive in exchange. Why is it so many can't understand this very basic concern??

Dinahmo

I think that Scottish Ballet is fed up with putting on the same old classics every Christmas and just want to stir things up a bit.

But some of the performances will be the same old classics, that's the point! Nobody will know until the performance starts whether they are getting the innovative performance or "the same old classic". Can you not see the problem???

I'm not sure that the dance will be radically different. This from Scottish Ballet's website:

Will the costumes differ?

No – the Princess who sweeps Cinders off his feet will wear the same sensational dress that the female Cinders will wear to the ball in her performances. There will be the same sparkle and glamour in every show!

Will the choreography differ?

Some small sections will, and you might notice some interesting nuances in movement/delivery, which is something we’re enjoying exploring. Look out for content being posted on Scottish Ballet’s social media, interrogating this more.

There's a short clip on the site of principal Bruno Micchiardi and guest principal Jessica Fyfe rehearsing what appears to be the male Cinders / princess version which shows some of those nuances - she offers her hand for him to take, she lifts his chin. It all looks rather lovely.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUUhsPR6884