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I have taken my girls every year since they were 4 years old to this production and it's exceptional every year! This was our fifth year and we loved it as much this year as we did the first year!
The ballet dancers and costumes were good, but not great. The GR symphony was amazing.
Probably the best ballet I've seen! Outstanding! The arabian dancers were phenomenal!
The dancing was wonderful. I was disappointed in the sets and costumes. I figured attending a function at Devos Hall it would be a little higher quality.
Over priced for an amateur production. I expected more from a professional company. Very disappointing! Let me start with the small things, all of the backdrops were wrinkled and looked awful. It reflected how much they care about this production. Costuming was cheap looking and underwhelming. Choreography didn't work well with the music in some numbers. There was a huge amount of upstaging and background characters and dancers pulling attention, making it feel chaotic and unorganized. There were other dance and theater faux pas but I'll save those since most people wouldn't have noticed it unless the have a dance or theatrical background. The dancers are talented but the artistic choices of the show produced a sub par experience. Needless to say it was surprising that they charge what they do for the level of show received.
The performance of the Ballet, the Symphony and the amazing DeVos Hall ambiance made for an almost perfect night. First off I must say the Symphony was absolutely flawless. They were so good, several times I forgot they were in the pit and thought I was listening to a soundtrack. I would have been just as happy with them on stage, eyes closed and a martini. However, the Grand Rapids Ballet company blew me away. I was not prepared for the international quality of the dancers, especially the Nutcracker Prince and the Sugar Plum Fairy. Unbelievable talent. We gave this a 4 out of 5 stars and I'll tell you why. 1.There was an incredibly loud crackling microphone sound that must have lasted 3 seconds that was an unacceptable blunder in a production this professional. I must give the dancers credit, not one of them even flinched. 2. There were a few inconsistencies where the dancers, however amazing, were not all in sync with each other in moves like kick height, timing, smiles with and without teeth etc... and 3, most of all, the last scene seemed to end to abruptly. You felt as though as Dr. Drosselmeyer picks up Clara and something else was supposed to happen (i.e.: she wakes from the dream), but the curtain falls before she returns to her home and the reality of the dream can sink in. Too abrupt in my picky opinion. I think a lot of first time attendees were probably wondering if it was a dream or a magic event. I admit these are picky things, but if perfection is the goal, this was just slightly off. Close enough to go again though :)
They need to practice their moves more. They needed to change up some of their dances in the second act. I felt like the first act and second had to many of the same moves
I drove 4 1/2 hours through a snow storm last Saturday to watch the Grand Rapids Ballet's production of the Nutcracker - BEST Nutcracker Ever!! A must see!
I took my girlfriend as a birthday present. I have seen the performance in the past. This was very good and I enjoyed it very much.
Dracula was amazing!!! Never thought a ballet company could pull it off! Well done GRB!!
I took my 7 year old daughter who is a seasoned vampirologist to see Dracula by the Grand Rapids Ballet. She was not familiar with the original story so I had to fill her in. The dancing was beautiful and the dancers were excellent actors. Each performed well and made for a compelling story. Dracula and the vampire girls were devilish and vampy in a fun way that kept the suspense. The location is easy and the auditorium is comfortable with great sight lines. I would recommend the show to anyone, especially parents with preconscious daughters with a taste for the macarbe. We are lucky to have the Grand Rapids Ballet in town.
GR Ballet did NOT disappoint with this year's performance of "Dracula." We were excited to introduce our 17 yr old niece to ballet and chose this production on purpose. She thought it was awesome (just as we had hoped), we thought it was awesome and would eagerly see it again. Congrats to GR Ballet for such a wonderful effort!
The Ballet was amazing. The dancers were superb and a joy to watch. We truly enjoyed our nice out at the ballet!!
The performance made for an enjoyable visual display of grace, poetry in motion and skill; lending compliments to the dancing choreography. The story was told at a nice pace through several transitions of different dance numbers by skilled and accomplished dancers. And it made for a nice interpretation of Bram Stoker's Dracula.
The dancing was beautiful- however, the music was awful. I love this book, and could not wait to see the ballet, especially since it was supposed to follow the book closely. The music was bland, and unexciting which made me lose interest in the ballet.
This show was engaging and fun and really good ballet experience. There were a few "missed" marks and maybe a tighter cast might have been a boost, but all-in-all, I felt they did a very good job with this presentation. The event was fun, with costumes encouraged on Halloween night. However, very few came in costume and that did make it a bit awkward for those who did. But a fun idea, nonetheless.
We loved every minute of it. An outstanding job by an outstanding cast!!
The ballet was beautifully directed. It was great to see an evenly matched male to female dancers. Loved the dressed up rolling bodices! The ending was so emotional I cried. Great story... great performance!
While skeptical about how Shakespeare would translate, this was beyond what I could have imagined. The dancers expressed the emotion of the play, and the choreography was a perfect reflection of the original play. While it definitely would be easier to understand if you are extremely familiar with the play, it will still be a wonderful experience.
When it was done, I wanted to see it all over again!
