World Ballet Day 2026: How Stories are Made
By Ashley Woodfield, Head of Ballet Press
Thursday 24 September 2026
On Thursday 29 October 2026, World Ballet Day will return with the theme of How Stories Are Made, celebrating the stories behind the art form of ballet. To mark this global celebration of dance, ballet companies worldwide will stream and share filmed content available to watch online.
This year, The Royal Ballet will present a three-hour livestream, taking audiences inside the rehearsal room to explore the stories of how teaching and coaching bring ballet to life.
The Royal Ballet's World Ballet Day Livestream
Through rehearsal and conversation, the livestream will explore the transmission of knowledge through training and coaching and share how choreography is passed on to new generations, revealing the central role that teachers and ballet répétiteurs play in preserving the art form.
Drawing on their personal experiences of working with choreographers past and present, coaches play an essential role in the rehearsal journey, not only in staging ballets but also in guiding artists and helping to ensure works are performed as originally intended. By aligning steps, technique and artistry with knowledge and memories that often span decades, they continue the vital tradition of sharing and passing on ballet to the next generation.
Audiences will be invited to join distinguished figures from The Royal Ballet, including former dancers and coaches, as they lead and reflect on the art of rehearsal. Through personal recollections of performance and coaching, they will reveal how the experience of artists who have danced these roles themselves continue to shape the interpretations of today’s dancers.
The focus on teachers and the passing on of knowledge is a special fit with this year’s Centenary Celebration for The Royal Ballet School. There will be both pre-recorded and live footage of The Royal Ballet School and Birmingham Royal Ballet featured as part of The Royal Ballet's livestream.
The stream will begin at 11.30am with a live broadcast of The Royal Ballet’s daily Company Class, a much-loved highlight of World Ballet Day that offers unique access to the Company in morning practice as dancers prepare for the day’s rehearsals. Presented by Royal Ballet Principal Character Artist Kristen McNally and filmed live from the Royal Opera House, the programme offers an inspiring insight into the world of ballet and the living tradition of multi-generational coaching, shared artistry and storytelling.
The stream will also be supported with BSL and an Audio Description service.
