Episode 577
Behind the Curtain: How Ballet Makes Insanity Look Graceful
Today, Oct. 29 is World Ballet Day — about 40 companies, including the Royal Ballet, the Australian Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre, are opening their studios virtually so you can watch rehearsals, classes, interviews and behind‑the‑scenes footage online for free. The theme is “how stories are made,” which basically means: watch a lot of hard work so you can marvel at how effortless it looks. Seriously, try standing on your toes for three seconds — these dancers do crazy leaps and spins after years of training. Meanwhile I can’t even wrestle a fitted sheet without pulling a muscle, and they never make that tiny groan we all do getting out of a recliner. World Ballet Day started in 2014 when five big companies lifted the curtain, and now it’s a worldwide celebration — complete with a ridiculous monster‑swans promo, because apparently ballet needed monster trucks. Go peek behind the curtain and appreciate the absurd athleticism.
Takeaways:
- I found out World Ballet Day is on October 29 and it's a global, virtual, behind-the-scenes event.
- We learned about roughly 40 companies joining the fun, including the Royal Ballet, Australian Ballet, and the American Ballet Theater.
- I joked that ballet might need the monster-truck treatment — think fire-breathing swans and gargantuan grand jetés, pure silly spectacle.
- I was blown away by how dancers make impossible moves look effortless, while I can't even stand on my toes for three seconds.
- We reminded folks the celebration started in 2014 when five companies opened studios to the public, offering free online rehearsals and footage.
Transcript
Good morning.
Speaker A:It's Haystack.
Speaker A:And today, the 29th day of October is World Ballet Day.
Speaker A:And if you have, if you've ever watched a professional ballet dancer and thought to yourself, well, that doesn't look so hard, I would encourage you to try standing on your toes for, I don't know, maybe three seconds.
Speaker A:It's actually a pretty big international event.
Speaker A:This World ballet day, about 40 different ballet companies around the world are participating, including the Royal Ballet in London, the Australian Ballet, and the American Ballet Theater.
Speaker A:And they're essentially opening up their studios to the public.
Speaker A:Well, opening up their studios virtually.
Speaker A:You can watch rehearsals and dance classes, see interviews and behind the scenes footage online, completely free.
Speaker A:The theme for World Ballet Day this year is how stories are made.
Speaker A:And the idea is to show people just how much work goes into making these performances look so effortless.
Speaker A:That's the amazing thing about ballet.
Speaker A:You know, these dancers spend years training their bodies to do things that don't seem physically possible.
Speaker A:They leap through the air, they spin around on one foot, they balance on the very tips of their toes, all while making it look like they're floating.
Speaker A:And meanwhile, I can't.
Speaker A:I can't put on a fitted sheet without pulling a muscle.
Speaker A: allet Day actually started in: Speaker A:And it has grown into a worldwide celebration of ballet, ballet.
Speaker A:I, of course, have tremendous respect for these performers.
Speaker A:The strength, the flexibility, the discipline, it is absolutely incredible.
Speaker A:But the thing that impresses me the most is they do all that jumping and spinning and balancing, and not once do they make that little groaning noise that the rest of us make getting out of a recliner.
Speaker A:If you'd like to see some of the behind the scenes action, if you'd like to watch it, it's all@worldballeday.com WorldBalletay.com youm know, maybe if we gave ballet the.
Speaker A:How could we get people more interested in ballet?
Speaker A:Maybe we should give it the monster truck treatment.
Speaker B:Strap on your slippers for World Ballet Day and get ready for ballet.
Speaker B:Ballet, ballet.
Speaker B:Come see colossal choreography as ballerinas take a dive into Swan Lake as fire breathing monster swans with the most gargantuan grand jetes in classical dance with special appearance by the Nutcracker and ladies, your head will pirouette when you see the dance belts on our dance your dudes pillay down to the Performance Arts center where seats are limited but you'll only need the edge of it.
Speaker B:World Ballet Day.
Speaker B:We set the bar spelled with an R E. Be there.
