This year, on October 19, we celebrate World Ballet Day. The organizers, The Royal Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, and The Australian Ballet announced that will be an impressive number of events streamed online, including shows, rehearsals, workshops, interviews with great choreographers and dancers.
Celebrating World Ballet Day 2021, Ballet Magazine Romania invites you to read below a very inspirational & supportive interview with the representatives of the one of the most known ballet company in the world, The Royal Ballet.
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World Ballet Day 2021! 50 companies from across the world are celebrating, half of them from Europe
World Ballet Day 2021, The Royal Ballet! We are delighted to be able to share a selection of streamed content with audiences near and far
How has Covid19 changed your company’s normal routine – by which I mean rehearsals, programs, shows?
The Royal Ballet: After a long period of restrictions, where socially-distanced dancers could only rehearse in limited numbers, it feels great to have finally returned to full production mode and full capacity here at the Royal Opera House. We are thrilled to be gearing up for our first full Season in 18 months, opening with Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet.
Our 2021/22 Season features an exciting range of world premieres and repertory favorites – including Peter Wright’s Giselle and The Nutcracker. On the 14th October, The Royal Ballet will present the world premiere of Wayne McGregor’s eagerly anticipated new production, The Dante Project – inspired by Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy, featuring a commissioned score by Thomas Adès and designs by Tacita Dean – and, in the new year, Swan Lake returns to stage. Other exciting premieres include a new work by American choreographer Kyle Abraham, and Christopher Wheeldon’s Like Water for Chocolate – his third full length work for the company.
Photo: The Royal Ballet, Andrej Uspenski
The safety of our audiences, staff and artists is of paramount concern here at the Royal Opera House and the measures we have in place are always in line with prevailing government guidance. Even though rules have been relaxed across the country since July 19th, significant mitigations remain in place across the organisation to ensure the safety of absolutely everyone who steps through our doors. The auditorium and all parts of the building are subject to enhanced cleaning, ventilation and regular anti-viral fogging, we encourage audiences to wear face masks during performances, and we have strict protocols that staff are following – with mask-wearing required both front and back of house, and a testing system set up for the dancers, who take weekly PCR tests and twice weekly lateral flow tests.
What are your plans for the future? Do you believe that things could be again like before the pandemic or has the situation changed forever?
The Royal Ballet: We are delighted to be pushing forward with a brand-new Season.
It is, of course, impossible to know how things will shift in the future, but we are committed to bringing world-class art to audiences across the world. We will continue to monitor the situation very carefully and follow government guidelines to reduce infection rates.
Is there something new about this year’s celebrations?
The Royal Ballet: This is our eighth World Ballet Day, and, after so long away from the stage, we are delighted to be able to share a selection of streamed content with audiences near and far. This year, The Royal Ballet are returning with our partner companies, the Bolshoi Ballet and The Australian Ballet, but will also be joined by a host of others from across the world. A fuller line-up will be revealed at the end of September. In a first for World Ballet Day, we are also collaborating with TikTok – a really exciting addition to this year’s activities.
What are your headlines for 19 October?
The Royal Ballet: We have some great content lined up and some surprises too! Full details will be announced shortly, including a full list of participating companies from around the world and their respective streaming schedules.
Do you have a message for the dancers for this special day? And for the audience?
The Royal Ballet: World Ballet Day is a time to celebrate dance, and now, more than ever, it’s important that we come together to do so with our global family. This year, we hope to create a moment of joy and solidarity in the face of the ongoing challenges of the Covid19 pandemic.
With a team of renowned professionals, made both online and in print in exceptional quality, Ballet Magazine Romania, a unique news magazine in Central and Eastern Europe, invites the ballet community to stay close for celebrate together the resistance of this form of art despite of all challenges.
Through the English section, Ballet Magazine Romania brings to its readers the most relevant news and information, along with interviews with the greatest personalities of choreographic art in Romania and the world.
