Ballet in Your Local Multiplex? Yes!!

Look what Canada is doing! Thanks to Apollinaire for alerting me to this. As Apollinaire says in her blog, yes, we’ve been discussing whether Met Opera Director Peter Gelb’s success in introducing new audiences to opera through broadcasting some of the Met’s productions in movie theaters could work for ballet as well. Well, Canada has beat us to the experiment.

And thanks to Matt for alerting me to this: a New York Observer blog post on Kristin Sloan, founder of The Winger and New York City Ballet dancer, indicating that she has retired from dancing to become the Director of New Media for the company. Go Kristin! I wonder if NYCB will now be the harbinger of more great experiments to come? Will NYCB be the first to bring ballet to your local cinema???

2 Comments

  1. man I’m really glad I have the Nutcracker on DVD… My parents would hate me I were to turn it on our television… But I agree with you I wish they would televise here.

    crap! I missed Kristin’s Post. I love the Winger. Even though I’m not a ballet dancer, Its so much fun to read about them. I know it’s not a glam life but for me its still slightly romantic 😉

  2. What a great idea. They have done that in Washington with the Opera. They simulcast La Boheme this year to a cinema (for pay) and to a big outdoor screen on the National Mall (for free). They do a great job of reaching out to younger audiences. They have a program called Generation O for the under-35 set, with discounts, happy hours, lectures, and even free performances from time to time. They’re cultivating their future full-price-paying audiences– very savvy. I think the dance world should take a hint from their strategy, and hopefully also do more than the Nutcracker in the future. There’s nothing like a live performance, but seeing it close up on a huge cinema screen would be a close second.

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