One of the world’s leading ballerinas claims it is now cheaper for a family to see her in a show than to go to a football match.
Asked about ballet being too elitist, Marianela Núðez, a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet, said: “This question has been raised so many times.
“I know people talk about ticket prices, and then to watch a football game it’s probably even more expensive, sometimes, than coming to see a performance.”
Going to a musicals is likely to be just as pricey as ballet, she said, adding: “People don’t say that football games are elitist.”
Argentine-born Núðez, 39, is set to star in the Royal Ballet’s new production of Giselle, which opens at the start of next month.
Tickets start at £6 at the Royal Opera House in London’s Covent Garden, with a restricted view or a standing spot. The most expensive tickets are £125.
Arsenal and London neighbours have the most expensive season tickets in the Premier League; watching Arsenal starts at around £891 this season, or £47 per match.
“Art heals, art helps and we just need it out there for everybody.
And it is reachable for everybody,” Núðez told the Sunday Times.
The youngest of four children, she grew up in Buenos Aires and started ballet lessons aged three. Her mother, Elena, sent her to ballet lessons and took her to her first performance, Swan Lake, at the city’s Teatro Colòn when she was six.
Núðez has been with the Royal Ballet for 23 years and is regarded as one of the world’s best ballerinas.
She was speaking before World Ballet Day on Tuesday, where 51 dance companies from around the world will stream 24 hours of rehearsals.
The stars are encouraging viewers to post videos of themselves doing a “jump for joy” while performing their favourite dance move.
