Call me a thicko but what is "Close to" ?

Not sure about the first few rows in the stalls at the Lowry - don't you miss seeing dancers feet? Certainly a few rows back you miss the feet but it may be different in the front row.

>
>Call me a thicko but what
>is "Close to" ?

It means anything close to the stage. Front row of stalls would qualify for example. At CG some of the Stalls Circle or Boxes might also qualify

Thus my preference is for the First Circle, despite the greater distance from the dancers. The best place to view dance that I know is the First Circle of The Lowry, which is over row 12 or so in the stalls and allows you to be relatively close to the stage and able to see the choreography fully.

For Balanchine I think the first cirlce is the best. At stalls level the intricate patterns etc are lost. I also find that unless you are dead in the middle of the stalls it looks untidy and uncoordinated.

In Edinburgh I certainly perferred by 2nd circle seats for the matinee from the stall seats I had in the evening.

I think you have always got to be above the action in ballet or any other kind of dance,otherwise you get no perspective on the patterns (and there are always patterns, whether it's Balanchine or Macmillan.) In the ROH my preferred seat, therefore, would be bang in the middle of the front row of the Grand Tier.

In reality I usually just stand at the back of the Stalls Circle.