Hello dear readers, it is one of my favourite days of the year- World Ballet Day! World Ballet Day is a day where ballet companies and dancers from across the globe come together to celebrate this art form that we love so much. I love that this is a day that ballet is made more accessible, and the curtain is lifted to show the secrets (figuratively and literally). So, throughout today (save for some errands that need doing) I will be watching some of the best ballet companies in the world share their classes, rehearsals, and productions! Keep checking this post, as I will be adding more to it throughout the day! World Ballet Day 2019 is finally here and it is time to take advantage.
World Ballet Day started in 2014; every year, the ballet world comes together for one day in October to share their love of dance. There are some major companies like the Royal Ballet in London and the Paris Opera Ballet, as well as several smaller companies participating as well. You can watch everything live on the World Ballet Day facebook page, and many companies will also be streaming on their own social media pages. And if you miss any of them, you should be able to watch the uploads on Youtube later! Here is the schedule for the day:
If you are interested in the history of ballet, you can read about the early origins of ballet here and the different schools of ballet developing here! A lot of people know “round arms above the head” and dancing on your toes, but do you know how we got to the technique and dancers that we see today?
To get us started and in the spirit for World Ballet Day 2019, here is the Royal Ballet’s full company class that they streamed for World Ballet Day 2018! You can see all of the Royal Ballet’s past World Ballet Day footage on their YouTube channel, it is a treasure trove if you are looking for ballet to watch.
Update 5:45am CST: The Royal Ballet is live streaming and it is fantastic!! I’d recommend even listening if you can’t watch, as there are many interviews happening.
Update 6:45am CST: I’ve found the Australian Ballet’s stream- I was able to catch some of their class last night before I went to bed. One of the benefits of World Ballet Ballet is that we have nearly a full day to enjoy!
And I’ve also got the Bolshoi’s stream for you, as well! Both the Bolshoi Ballet and the Australian Ballet were founding partners of World Ballet Day in 2014, and its lovely to see that they are continuing on in their support (and letting us in!).
Update: 8:45am CST: Weiner Staatsballet is also streaming for World Ballet Day 2019, and are rehearsing a classic modern production of Balanchine’s Jewels!
Update 11:15am CST: And here is the stream from the Dutch National Ballet, rehearsing Romeo and Juliet, and then finishing with rehearsals for a new ballet, Frida!
And here is the Northern Ballet, a Leeds based touring company, working on Cinderella in rehearsal for World Ballet Day 2019!
La Scala Ballet Company, from the Teatro alla Scala in Milan also streamed some of their company class, and introduced several of their dancers! (I love that companies are using today to introduce us to dancers we might not know 🙂 )
And the Royal Swedish Ballet! This is one of the oldest ballet companies in Europe, and here they are rehearsing Noces/ Agon/ Rites of Spring.
Will you be watching World Ballet Day 2019?Â
Cheers,
The Historian
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin’
