#WorldBalletDay celebrates 10th anniversary

The annual free digital 24-hour livestream for World Ballet Day occurs on Wednesday 1 November this year.

Kevin O'Hare, Director of The Royal Ballet, said: 

It's incredible to think that World Ballet Day is celebrating its 10th anniversary. We can't wait to reflect on the last decade in dance and look forward to its vibrant future with another fantastic international collaboration. We're delighted to be partnering with David at The Australian Ballet and Tamara at San Francisco Ballet, together with so many brilliant dancers in companies around the world coming on board to demonstrate the transformative power of dance. We hope all lovers of ballet will join us online.

The Royal Ballet, The Australian Ballet and San Francisco Ballet will be joined by 60 companies from around the world including Cuba-based Acosta Danza, American Ballet Theatre, the National Ballet of Canada, Korean National Ballet, and Joburg Ballet.

Tamara Rojo, Artistic Director of San Francisco Ballet, said: 

As the oldest professional ballet company in the United States, we're honoured to partner with The Royal Ballet and The Australian Ballet in this global celebration and the tenth anniversary of World Ballet Day. We're delighted to be able to give viewers glimpses of the creative processes in real time, and honour ballet as a living art and universal language.

The 10-year anniversary programme will be streamed across YouTube and Facebook, and over the course of the day, audiences can tune in to see classes, rehearsals, and footage offering glimpses of ballet's biggest stars and upcoming performers.

A social media moment will be where audiences can film their best pirouette, with a selection of the best clips shown as part of The Royal Ballet's livestream.

David Hallberg, Director of The Australian Ballet, said: 

For 10 years, World Ballet Day has provided the opportunity to see the beauty of the ballet, expressed through the intimate lens of a camera. It's a thrill to virtually open our doors once again to share the fantastic work and dedication of our dancers.

Watch via www.worldballetday.com

Gramilano( Editor )

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.

His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.