World Ballet Day Final Line-up Announced

The Royal Ballet, The Australian Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet are delighted to announce that over 50 companies are planned to participate in the biggest #WorldBalletDay yet, streaming from six continents around the world.

In the run up to 19 October, join them by taking part in the largest ever global dance challenge, sharing your Jump for Joy using #WorldBalletDay for a chance to be featured on the day.

This year's line-up includes 12 companies joining for the first time, alongside returning favourites American Ballet Theatre, Paris Opera Ballet, The National Ballet of Japan, and Cape Town City Ballet. Exclusive content will be available from select companies on TikTok, alongside full-length streams on YouTube and Facebook, offering unique behind-the-scenes glimpses of ballet's biggest stars and upcoming performers. A full schedule is now available on worldballetday.com.

In a #WorldBalletDay first, participating companies are encouraging audiences to take part in the Jump for Joy challenge. For a chance to be featured on the day, viewers have been asked to share a video of themselves performing their favourite celebratory dance move. No ballet experience is necessary, and content should be shared using #WorldBalletDay. A trailer can be found here.

The Royal Ballet's five-hour live stream will commence at 11:00 AM BST. The Company's contribution, subject to change, includes:

· Morning class with the full Company, taught by Principal Guest Teacher Olga Evreinoff and accompanied on piano by Michael Pansters

· Interview with Director of The Royal Ballet Kevin O'Hare

· Principal Dancer Fumi Kaneko and First Soloist William Bracewell in rehearsal for Kenneth MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet

· Stage and piano rehearsal for Wayne McGregor's groundbreaking new ballet The Dante Project, featuring short interviews with Principal Dancers Sarah Lamb and Ed Watson

· Rehearsal for new piece by choreographer Mikaela Polley

· Principal Dancer Marianela Nuñez rehearsed by Former Director of The Royal Ballet Monica Mason

· Rehearsal for Soloist Benjamin Ella's Draft Works piece, featuring Aud Jebsen Young Dancer Daichi Ikarashi, Royal Ballet Soloist Isabella Gasparini and Prix De Lausanne Dancer Marco Masciari.

· Rehearsal for Aud Jebsen Young Dancer Denilson Almeida's Draft Works piece, with Aud Jebsen Young Dancer Ava May Llewellyn and Artist of The Royal Ballet Joonhyuk Jun

· Film by The Royal Ballet's Emerging Choreographer Joseph Toonga featuring Principal Dancer Natalia Osipova

· Full corps de ballet rehearsal for Peter Wright's Giselle

· A compilation featuring some of the best Jump for Joy clips, submitted by #WorldBalletDay viewers

From The Australian Ballet, audiences can expect a full class, complete with commentary by Artistic Director David Hallberg, followed by rehearsals for Harlequinade, I New Then and Romeo and Juliet. The three-and-a-half-hour segment, streamed from Melbourne and commencing at 12:00 AEDT, will also include a tour of the costume production department, and an introduction to the company's educational and outreach projects.

The Bolshoi's three-hour programme will be hosted by ballet soloists Artyom Ovcharenko and Ana Turazashvili. Pre-recorded content will include a morning class followed by rehearsals for Orlando, La Bayadère, Don Quixote and Pharaoh's Daughter, all intercut with live interviews conducted in the historic foyer of the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow. Streaming begins at 10:00 MSK.

Kevin O'Hare, Director of The Royal Ballet, said: 'I am delighted to be joining such an astonishing list of global companies for World Ballet Day 2021 - the largest group we have ever worked with on this event. Our line-up is looking spectacular, showcasing a full roster of talent performing in The Royal Ballet today, and I hope that audiences both here and across the world enjoy everything we have in store. See you on the 19th!'