First World Ballet Day kicks off in America!

Newly inaugurated, the first World Ballet Day on October 1 will be celebrated with the live streaming of five of the world’s major ballet companies. The Australian Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, The Royal Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada and San Francisco Ballet will each present a four-hour slot showing life behind the scenes in the daily running of a ballet company.

Beginning in Melbourne, the streaming will travel across the time zones to Moscow, London, Toronto and San Francisco, and can be viewed on the companies’ websites and YouTube. This unique collaboration will mark the first time that YouTube has streamed live more than eight hours of content.

The Australian Ballet’s section commences at 12 p.m. Melbourne time on Wednesday, October 1, which is 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 30 on the West Coast in America.

“We are proud to be launching the World Ballet Day LIVE stream, before handing across to our partners as the broadcast follows companies, cultures and time zones around the globe,” stated The Australian Ballet.

Dancers around the world are encouraged to get involved in World Ballet Day. These participating ballet companies ask dancers to post their pictures on social media and use the hashtag #worldballetday.

San Francisco Ballet’s World Ballet Day stream will be hosted by ABC Traffic and Feature Reporter Leyla Gulen. It will be co-hosted by Ballet Master and Assistant to the Artistic Director Christopher Stowell.

Dance enthusiasts hoping to tune in should go to www.sfballet.org/worldballetday or view the 20-hour live stream on YouTube.

The full schedule for World Ballet Day (in Pacific Daylight Time) is as follows: 

– The Australian Ballet: Tuesday, Sept. 30, 7 p.m.

– Bolshoi Ballet: Tuesday, Sept. 30, 11 p.m.

– Royal Ballet: Wednesday, Oct. 1, 3 a.m.

– National Ballet of Canada: Wednesday, Oct. 1, 7 a.m.

– San Francisco Ballet: Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 11 a.m.

Image courtesy of San Francisco Ballet.