Flower etiquette in the UK: how to thank artists

Recently, a concert of Maxim Galkin took place in London. In our Instagram stories, we showed that after the concert, he was given bouquets, mostly of seasonal flowers, such as sunflowers. Coincidentally, the sunflower is a symbol of Ukraine, and the concert itself was held on the Independence Day of Ukraine. There we commented how it is “in our way” to give flowers to the artist as a sign of respect for his work, in gratitude and appreciation. In response to this, some readers asked the question: “What, is it not accepted in Britain? Don’t you give flowers to artists and actors?” And here it is worth thinking about how differently we behave in seemingly the same situations in different countries. Margarita Bagrova, Editor-in-Chief of Afisha.London magazine, explains when and how it is necessary (or not) to give flowers in the UK at concerts or performances.

 

Our people at home, in what used to be USSR, often give flowers — the culture of flowers in the theatre is widespread, you can almost always see the audience with rustling bouquets, which they later enthusiastically hand to the actors.

This tradition itself is dating back to ancient times. Fresh flowers were given to theatre actors, dancers and singers in Ancient Rome, Greece, India and Japan. With the help of bouquets and wreaths, the audience expressed their admiration, favour and gratitude. The same tradition was followed in the Middle Ages — flower compositions were presented to favourite theatre, opera and even circus artists.

Fashion for theatrical bouquets appeared in Russia in the 1840s thanks to foreign (mainly French and Italian) dancers performing on St. Petersburg stage. Anyone, even a person very far from art, can by presenting bouquets to artists easily express his or her admiration, thank them for their work and emotions brought to the audience. It is necessary to note that such theatrical performances could only be afforded by wealthy classes and it was prestigious to appear there with flowers in a Western manner.

 

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Rich and influential spectators with the help of flowers could also hint at a special attitude and the possible benefits that it brings. Wealthy fans did not skimp on fantastically designed and obscenely priced compositions.

In Soviet times (even in the hardest years of World War II), bouquets were most certainly presented to loved ones of creative professions. This tradition was elevated to a cult, so much so that even Communist Party party functionaries and apparatchiks could not do without flowers after the speeches. Flowers disrupted the grey routine of life and turned an ordinary day into a celebration or a memorable event.

Interestingly, in the UK, there was no such cult, despite it being one of the most “flowery” countries in the world. One has only to mention the exhibition in Chelsea (by the way, here is our film about this flower show). The British don’t give flowers at artistic performances. It’s just not done.

There are various reasons — traditional, ingrained in culture code unwillingness to embarrass others who came to the performance without flowers, politeness that does not allow a person to get up and interfere with the rest of the audience with their movements around the hall. And another one is a banal allergy. Flowers are unpredictable, and the British fervently protect personal space. This, by the way, is one of the main factors why it is not customary to bring bouquets to hospitals.

 

 

Moreover, long ovations are also not accepted. Usually, there is one bow, maximum two (the second means that everything was incredibly cool). This always surprises “our” viewer, because delight tears the soul to shreds, the voice draws out “Bravo!” many times, dopamine, serotonin and endorphin agree: “Come to the bows, we are glad to welcome and thank you.”

But, as you understand, there are exceptions to every rule — for example, on tours of our actors abroad, they are given flowers. And these are just performances by people like Galkin and Netrebko, ballet performances, enterprise performances (when more or less famous artists come), creative evenings and the like.

The evening suddenly takes over the soul of our viewer (more precisely, he knows exactly that it will, because flowers are bought in advance). And here it is, a reverent presentation, an opportunity to personally approach the world of art and express gratitude. This public admiration is received with reverence by our artists. It is customary, it is such a sacred rite, a continuation of a great theatrical game.

 

 

Some artists perceive bouquets as an emotional payment for the energy they spent. Throughout the performance, the audience experiences a wide range of emotions, the excess of which they return to the artists, bestowing them with many flowers. Surprisingly, some actors believe that the audience was not delighted if there were no bouquets after the performance. A bit strange, don’t you think? Where should I put the purchased bouquet if the performance is not very good? And where can I get the bouquet, if I suddenly like it very, very much? Run to buy it in the foyer? By the way, flower shops began to function in some Russian theatres, apparently just for such occasions.

It is extremely rare in the UK to find situations when after the performance, the artists are given bouquets by stage administrators, to whom the audience gives flowers in advance. This practice, as a rule, exists at those sites where the viewer can not get close to the ramp. Or it is a special bright anniversary event, a gala evening or the season’s closing. On special occasions, such as in this video, flowers are a reward for work.

 

 

I won’t hide it, I also gave flowers. I had moments like that too, and even with the British performers. I blame my admiring Russian soul and not-yet-formed flower stiffness.

For example, in 2018, for my magazine Afisha.London, I interviewed writer and historian Helen Rappaport. We talked about her new book, dedicated to the Romanov family and the 100th anniversary of their execution (here is the interview). I liked her so much that I came to the creative evening presentation with a bouquet. Nothing pompous, but still, I was the only one with the bouquet. What was her amazement when she realized that this bouquet was for her, and it was not mine at all, which I received on a date before the presentation.

 

“Seriously, to me? For what? Thank you,” Helen said, embarrassed.

 

 

It never occurred to me that I could make her uncomfortable, because she writes about Russian history, she knows us, so to speak, deeper than an ordinary Brit would do, but no… Maybe she knows, but she doesn’t project our traditions and spiritual impulses onto herself.

However, my favourite observation is the applause at concerts, and here I can share a story from Denis Matsuev’s performance. Before the pandemic, he was quite a frequent guest in London, the last time I remember him performing at the Southbank Center with the Philharmonia Orchestra in 2019. Denis Matsuev is accepted by the public at the highest level, in the truest sense of the word. Already in the first round of applause, the hall rises from the seats, and the British also have to do this, simply because if you remain seated you no longer can see anything. Denis responds in kind, the connection between him and the audience at this point intensifies, and the encore (especially if it is something popular) adds that last drop of admiration to the concert. It may be the last one for the viewer, but not for the artist’s rider.

In general, long story short, Matsuev went out that evening six (yes, six!) times for an encore and almost fell in a musical ecstasy under the piano. It was spectacular! Nevertheless, the British, confused and more than a little perplexed, left the hall in single file. And not because of disrespect, but simply because the concert is over, you need to catch the train or get to the parking lot, relieve the nanny from duty, and anyway no more than two bows are acceptable.

 

Denis Matsuev. Photo: © RZN.info

 

And they can be understood: they value their own and other people’s time and work, and the longer you live in the UK, the more you understand this. In the minds of the British, gratitude is that, despite the huge abundance of entertainment in the British capital, you have bought a ticket and came to this particular concert. You give away your money and time as a token of gratitude, applauding on the traditional bow and now you are ready to let musicians and actors go – they are already emotionally tired (and also want to go home and they also have a train to catch, can you imagine?).

By the way, in all the years I have never heard applause in unison. Probably the reason is precisely that the viewer does not have time to tune in to the general mood: the bows are short, there are no flowers, everyone quickly leaves the stage. Our viewer, who has been brought up differently over the years, knows how to reach a common beat very quickly: oh, those red-hot palms from applause. Honestly, I even miss this moment a little.

Probably, one can attribute the differences to a certain British stiffness, the absence of a passionate Russian flame inside… Perhaps. In general, without going into details, whether this is good or bad, let’s just say — such is the tradition. I hope my cultural observation will help you better understand life in the UK. And you can always give flowers, but only from a pure heart!

 

 

Cover photo: Yusif Eyvazov and Anna Netrebko (Evgeny Razumny)

 

 


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