World Ballet Day started in 2014. It is a celebration of dance and features major ballet companies across the world. This year if you watch the live stream you will see The Australian Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, The Royal Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, and San Francisco Ballet. Within these live Facebook streams other national companies will be featured as well as rehearsals and works in progress. It really gives you the opportunity to see the day in the life of a ballet company. This event lasts for 22 hours on the World Ballet Day Facebook page.
Working with the FMBallet for the past several years and having dance apart of my life for even long than that, I have found the importance and beauty of ballet. It's a discipline that people dedicate a big portion of their youth and adulthood too. It's an art form where a person is continually growing, studying, and working on their craft even at the top of their game. The dedication a dancer puts into classes, rehearsals, and performances takes strength (mentally and physically). They are some of the strongest and loyal people I know.
The FMBallet is in our 12th season of bringing dance to the stage in the Fargo-Moorhead and surrounding area, as well as throughout the United States. The company not only gives area dancers an opportunity to dance and perform at a professional level, it also gives youth and adults in our community an opportunity to perform along side them without any activity fees. Throughout the years, I've seen how important this opportunity is, the mentorship and inspiration the company members provide to younger (and older) dancers is something you don't often see. The company itself continues to grow, this season with the addition of our Junior Company, as well as additional productions. The company dancers train hard in classes, company classes and dedicate their time to rehearsals, appearances, and productions.
On a community level, the arts in Fargo-Moorhead are abundance. We are a very fortunate community to have amazing professional companies including the FM Symphony, FM Opera, Theatre B, FM Choral Artists, and so MANY more. These artists make up a portion of the Fargo-Moorhead community. They support local businesses, shop local shops, purchase coffee at local coffee shops, attend each others performances, and give back to this community. The FMBallet is very honored to be apart of this group of artists. We believe in community support, collaboration, and the arts.
Why go see the ballet?
I didn't grow up a ballet dancer, but the moment I saw my first ballet, I was in love. It is captivating how a choreographer tells a story through their dancers and how the dancers make that story come to life through movement on stage. With no words being said, I watch intently at the dancers on stage. Not just the main character, but all dancers. They are all part of the story, part of the movement, part of the choreography. In a technology driven world, there is detachment from human contact, from seeing the world around us. Going to the ballet gives us a moment in time that we set down our devices and watch movement and dance in the moment and observe. A moment that will never happen again. It's magical.
Artistic Director, Matt Gasper understands the performance aspect of dance, he grew up with parents who performed in ballet companies, on Broadway, in movies and touring productions. He knows how to tell a story through dance to connect an audience with the performance on stage.
Support Ballet. Support the FMBallet.
