World Ballet Day Is Today!
For the last few years, World Ballet Day has transfixed millions of ballet lovers with its hours and hours of live-streamed classes, rehearsals and behind-the-scenes extras from major companies around the globe. (We here at Pointe certainly don’t get any work done!) And the 2018 edition is finally here! Hosted by Australian Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet and The Royal Ballet, streaming begins on WBD’s Facebook page in Melbourne on October 2. However, for folks in North America, that means 9pm EST/6pm PST on Monday, October 1. In past years, the National Ballet of Canada and San Francisco Ballet helped host the event, but they are not participating this time. Other U.S. and Canadian companies, however, will get time in the limelight this morning and this afternoon–check out the full schedule here.
In addition to the three host companies, the dizzying list of guest companies includes: Houston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Acosta Danza, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, Bayerisches Stattsballett, Dutch National Ballet, Paris Opéra Ballet, Polish National Ballet, Queensland Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, English National Ballet, Northern Ballet, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, Scottish Ballet, National Ballet of Japan, Norwegian National Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Vienna State Ballet and West Australian Ballet (whew!).
And, bonus, viewers are also invited to participate: Upload a video or boomerang of yourself performing a pirouette in an interesting location on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #WorldBalletDay. According to its website, WBD is hoping to use the footage to create the “longest pirouette around the world.”
You can see the full schedule and get updates by joining WBD’s Facebook event. And if you miss your favorite company live (or simply don’t feel like pulling an all-nighter), don’t worry: you can always go back and watch a full replay on their Facebook page during normal daylight hours.
