Happy World Ballet Day 2017!
Today, Thursday 5 October 2017, is World Ballet Day 2017.
As someone who has never known life without ballet, I would be lost without it. Ballet class has always been my favourite place to be. Moreover, my professional life revolves around watching ballet, learning about ballet, writing about ballet and teaching ballet. Essentially, most of my days are ballet days!
Still, today is an extra special day. It is all about celebrating what makes ballet important to us, sharing our love of ballet with those who have the same passion and encouraging everyone else to discover ballet for themselves.
World Ballet Day 2017 is the fourth edition of the annual celebration and the format of the international online event remains the same. Five of the world’s top ballet companies are live-streaming footage from their studios today to give us an insight into the day-to-day athleticism and dedication that life as a professional ballet dancer requires. Throughout an incredible 22 hours of live filming, viewers will see some of the most talented dancers on the planet take their daily ballet class, rehearse for upcoming performances and work with esteemed choreographers. We will also be treated to interviews with company directors, dancers and teachers – and be urged to get involved in discussions ourselves by joining the ballet buzz on social media.
The five premier ballet companies participating in World Ballet Day 2017 are: The Australian Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, The Royal Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada and San Francisco Ballet.
All five companies have also invited a range of regional dance organisations geographically close to their location to be part of World Ballet Day 2017. These additional companies are: The National Ballet of Japan, Singapore Dance Theatre, The National Ballet of China, Ballets du Monte Carlo, Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Scottish Ballet, Northern Ballet, Houston Ballet and Ballet West.
The footage is being broadcast on Facebook Live but will also be available on demand. Watch via each participating company’s Facebook page or visit the World Ballet Day website.
Georgina Butler is an editor, a dance writer and a ballet teacher.
