World Ballet Day 2018

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a part of a big dance company? Last week on 2 October the world celebrated World Ballet Day with videos and photos shared from ballet companies across the globe. Hosted by the Royal Ballet in London, the Candadian Royal Ballet, Australian Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, and Houston Ballet, companies all over the world take to Facebook to livestream a peek into the life of a professional ballet dancer. The #WorldBalletDay is used by dancers all over the world, professionals or not. A quick glance at Instagram searching#wordballetday pulls up thousands of photos of dancers in rehearsal, in the park, even in cityscapes as seen in the photo above of a ballet dancer in Havana Cuba.

Although ballet terminology is largely French, the origins of ballet can be traced back to 15th century France and Russia. The Bolshoi Ballet Company in Moscow is one of the oldest companies in the world dating back to 1776. On World Ballet day, we can really see how dance is an art that spans centuries and cultures. If you check out YouTube (or see the video below) you can watch dancers in dance class, practicing for a show, and get a glimpse of what it truly takes to be a dancer in the world's best companies.