World Ballet Day: Live 2014, 1st October

On the 1st October, as part of the first World Ballet Day: Live, five of the world’s best ballet companies will take to the internet to reveal their off-stage workings to the public. The Bolshoi, Australian Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, San Francisco Ballet and Britain’s own Royal Ballet will show four hours each of live footage from their day.

The Royal Ballet already does an exemplary job of sharing rehearsal footage and interviews on its website, and this event follows on from Royal Ballet Live 2012, nine hours of live footage that racked up over 2.5 million views. But this will be an unprecedented insight behind the scenes of globally renowned companies less familiar to a British audience, interspersed with interviews from directors, dancers and choreographers.

Beginning their allocated time with a morning warm-up class, each company will rehearse several pieces from their current season, with a chance to see some of the world’s greatest dancers. Especially intriguing will be comparison points between the companies - both the Royal Ballet and the National Ballet of Canada, for example, will be rehearsing Kenneth Macmillan’s Manon (currently showing in Covent Garden), the RB with the lovely Marianela Nunez and Federico Bonnelli, and NBC under the guidance of former Royal Ballet director Anthony Dowell, upon whom the ballet’s role of Des Grieux was created.

It’s an unmissable 20 hours of dance, but there are a few particular highlights we’re looking forward too. At Covent Garden, Carlos Acosta will be rehearsing the young Russian star Vadim Muntagirov as Basilio in Acosta’s own Don Quixote - sure to be a captivating bit of mentorship. At the Bolshoi, the company will rehearse Jean-Christophe Maillot’s The Taming of the Shrew, which premiered this July. It was the first full ballet created by Maillot outside his home company, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, in twenty years.

The National Ballet of Canada will take us deep into the caverns of their extensive wardrobe department, as well as practising John Neumeier’s inspired Nijinsky. And at San Francisco Ballet, the ravishing Yuan Yuan Tan will give an interview. We’ll be keeping our eyes out for her mesmerising figure in the rehearsals as well.

All live footage will show on each company’s website, and on youtube. If you can’t devote 20 hours to this world class occasion, don’t despair - edited footage will be available after the event. Follow the action here: www.roh.org.uk/worldballetday

Schedule:

Australian ballet: 3-7am BST

Bolshoi Ballet: 7-11am BST

The Royal Ballet: 11am-3pm BST

National Ballet of Canada: 3-7pm BST

San Francisco Ballet 7-11pm BST