World Ballet Day is officially here. Celebrating around the world on a brand new date, dancers are giving a standing ovation to hard work, determination, technique and musicality. Barre, adagio, allegor, pas de deux, turnout, port de bras, footwork, epaulement, elegance, grand jetes…this is just a handful of the words that are part of the language of hundreds of years of ballet history.
With hundreds of unique steps in the ballet dictionary, the pure technique of ballet is a masterpiece, a culmination of disciplined training, hard work, athleticism, and beautifully performed grace. Ballet is studied, created, performed, and celebrated across the globe, and today is officially its day. Along with its history and the many incredible feats accomplished by dancers around the world, it is incredible to see ballet bringing people together across cities, countries, and continents.
For You: What Makes Ballet So Cool?
Ballet is marvelous full orchestras playing beautiful music and directing classical music steps to grand theaters and opera houses with the most wonderous and coveted stages for ballet across the world. It is story-driven ballets choreographed and composed as far back as the 1500s. It is ornate costuming designed with sparkling tulle. It is dance classes at local studios. It is every ballerina’s “Cinderella moment” of finding the perfect handmade satin pointe shoe fit.
Ballet is a global dance genre with many styles and variations to appreciate. Classical ballet, Romantic ballet, neoclassical ballet, and contemporary ballet are just a few, not to mention so many ballet fusions. Master Class praises these different styles that “have shaped the trajectory and evolution of the art form since its beginnings in Italy and France.” From internationally established methods of ballet, including technique from Vagonava, Cecchetti, Bournonville, Balanchine, French School, and the Royal Academy of Dance, ballet can be truly foundational.
“Dance with your heart and your feet will follow.” Unknown
Ballet is a combination of math, memorization, history, language studies, and performing arts. With its own grammar and grace, a connection to the French and Italian languages, and musical rhythms, ballet is a complicated art that innumerable talented creators and athletes have dedicated their lives to.
World Ballet Day celebrations are both global and personal. Dancers are celebrating in their local studios and at home. Top companies from across six continents are also spending the day streaming “an insider’s view,” morning classes, and sneak peeks of their upcoming work on WorldBalletDay.com.
Rewatch World Ballet Day LIVE from The Australian Ballet:
Ballet is timeless, classic, traditional, and ever-inspiring with a future that is sparkling and as bright as the center-stage lights! While World Ballet Day gives us access to and captures some of the world’s biggest ballet stars and moments, it really starts in local studios around the world. The places where we first learn to point our toes and float across the floor.