Going to the cinema to watch a movie has the been a favourite activity for generations. Movies make huge amounts of money in their opening weeks at the cinema while others can flop on a massive scale. But a new trend has crept into the world of the cinema – live screen ballet, theatre or opera. So, what is the trend all about and why is it so popular?

Ballet Screening Popularity

The idea of live screen ballet started to gain momentum back in the early 2010’s. Around the UK, cinemas began to stream live shows in place of traditional Hollywood films and there was no shortage of demand for them. That year saw La Boheme place as third in the box office ratings on the month it was streamed while The Nutcracker beat the Bond film Skyfall when it was released in December 2012.

That marked the growing trend for watching shows such as ballet, opera or theatre at the cinema. At that point, there were over 120 live events shown in cinemas across the country and audiences were turned out in impressive numbers.

Live Ballet is Amazing

One of the reasons that the whole live screening phenomena was born was the advances in technology that allows ballet companies and organisations to approach cinemas directly, without the need to partner with a movie studio. Cinemas were quick to release that there was a strong demand for this type of event and that they could even charge more for a ticket than for a standard movie.

And for the ballet and theatre companies, it offers the chance to expand their reach and to have more people see their performances that ever before. Pop concerts and sports events have already made their way to the big screen and therefore it was no surprise when ballet and other performing arts began to offer this facility.

Showcasing the Best Ballet Companies

The 2016-17 saw some opportunities to see the best ballet companies from around the world in a local cinema screen. For example, the Bolshoi Ballet announced that they would be screening seven performances during the season including The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty. The shows were screened to some 1,000 cinemas across 50 cities around the world including in the UK, the US and Russia.

Likewise, the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet announced six productions apiece that would be shown to cinema audiences around the world. Their website offers a screening search for people to quickly find the nearest cinema to their location around the world where the shows would be available.

Ballet Opportunities

The new opportunity to visit a cinema and watch traditional and more modern ballets in familiar surroundings has quickly caught on. People who have never watched ballet before find themselves able to watch live screenings at a fraction of the cost of visiting the ballet itself and without the need to travel to major cities such as London in order to see the shows. So, while it is already popular, there’s little doubt that live screening will continue to grow in numbers.

For those of us at Jade Harrison School of Dance who love ballet we relish the idea of seeing the best ballets streamed live from some of the best ballet companies across the world in Newcastle & North Tyneside Cinemas.