Australians are increasingly watching operas and ballets from Covent Garden in London at Australian cinemas, and that's a good thing for the domestic arts scene, Royal Ballet director Kevin O'Hare says.
The UK's Royal Opera House, where Australian dancer Steven McRae continues to receive rave reviews, will present six operas and six ballets in the 2015/16 season beamed live into cinemas in 40 countries.
Australian audiences see recorded shows due to the time difference, but that hasn't dampened their enthusiasm.
Between 2012/13 to 2013/14 there was a four-fold increase in attendances.
There was continued growth this year with the most successful production - Umberto Giordano's opera Andrea Chenier starring Jonas Kaufmann - selling 14,000 tickets nationwide.
"The cinema screenings hopefully encourage people to go and see their local companies in Australia," O'Hare said at the season launch in London.
"Of course we'd love people to come to the Royal Opera House but we only have 2200 seats."
The ROH says the cinema screenings only break even and won't fundamentally change the organisation's economic model. It's about exporting culture not making cash.
Swan Lake was number one at the British box office this year on the night it screened live, beating The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
When the cinema program started O'Hare sat with three people watching The Nutcracker.
Now it's flourished to the extent that people go to the screenings like it's a night out at the opera house itself.
Sydney-born McRae tries to ignore the cameras during the live screenings that are later shown in Australia.
He started dancing aged seven after watching his older sister in classes.
The son of a drag racer attended the Royal Ballet School as a 17-year-old in 2003, joined the company the following year and became a principal in 2009.
O'Hare insists McRae, 29, is one of the world's best.
"For me he's absolutely a world-class dancer," the director told AAP.
"He's really at the height of his powers at the moment.
"You can tell from the work he does with us and also where he's in demand around the world."
McRae has danced as a guest with the American Ballet Theatre and the Bolshoi.
O'Hare says he's not only technically "perfect" but also a rounded artist who can tell a story beautifully.
McRae married fellow dancer Elizabeth Harrod in 2011 and the couple had their first child in December.
"Having my daughter has simply been my greatest achievement," McRae told AAP on Thursday.
When he finishes dancing McRae may return to Australia.
"If the opportunity arose I would love to return home to help inspire and nurture the next generation of talent," he said.
"My aim is to direct a company, sharing so much of what I've learnt along my journey."
* Royal Opera House recorded operas and ballets screen in selected Palace cinemas in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and Hobart from this weekend until mid-August.
Share
