The Ballet of the Bucharest National Opera will hold an open class for the public for the first time in its history on Thursday at 10:00, marking World Ballet Day, according to a release sent to AGERPRES on Monday.

The event will take place on the Opera's main stage, giving the public a unique opportunity to watch from the auditorium. The company's ballet dancers will work under the guidance of choreographer Corina Dumitrescu. Admission is free, subject to availability.

Following the example of major opera houses around the world, the Bucharest National Opera is bringing this session before the public, with spectators watching not on a screen, but directly from the auditorium, on the stage where ballet performances take place.

'Every professional ballet dancer's day begins with a ballet class. It is a daily discipline which rank does not change. Principal ballet dancers, soloists and members of the ballet company work together, following the established model of classical ballet training. The class begins at the barre, where the body is gradually prepared through exercises which every ballet dancer has known since their early years of training: plies, battements tendus, ronds de jambe, fondus, adagio and grands battements. This is followed by centre work, without support: adagio, pirouettes, fast and precise jumps and expansive leaps across the stage. As always, the class ends with a bow,' the release mentioned.

According to the release, for the public, this is an opportunity to go behind the scenes of ballet and discover the work behind every performance, the rigour, repetition and physical effort that underpin the apparent ease of classical dance.

This year's World Ballet Day returns with the theme 'How stories are made.' The edition is dedicated to the stories behind the art of ballet and the preparations that make each production possible. On this day, major ballet companies around the world open their studios to the public. The Royal Ballet begins its live broadcast from the Royal Opera House with the company's daily class. This is one of the most eagerly anticipated moments of the day, as it offers a glimpse into the dancers' morning training before rehearsals.

AGERPRES National News Agency is one of the media partners of the event at the Bucharest National Opera. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Petronius Craiu; EN - writing by: Rodica State)