The ballet company of the Bucharest National Opera is hosting an open ballet class for the public for the first time in its history on Thursday, marking World Ballet Day.

The event will take place on the Opera's main stage from 10 am. Admission is free, subject to availability.

The company's dancers will work under the guidance of choreographer Corina Dumitrescu.

Following the example of the world's leading opera houses, the Bucharest National Opera is bringing this experience before the public. Spectators will not watch it on a screen but will observe it directly from the auditorium, on the very stage where ballet performances take place.

'The working day of every professional ballet dancer begins with class. It is a daily discipline that is unaffected by rank. Principal dancers, soloists and members of the corps de ballet work together, following the established tradition of classical ballet training. The class begins at the barre, where the body is gradually prepared through exercises familiar to every dancer from their earliest years of training: plies, battements tendus, ronds de jambe, fondus, adagio and grands battements. The work then moves to the centre, without support, with adagio, pirouettes, quick and precise jumps and the expansive leaps that carry dancers across the stage. As always, the class concludes with a bow,' reads a press release sent to AGERPRES.

For ballet enthusiasts, the organisers say, this is an opportunity to gain a glimpse behind the scenes and discover the work that goes into every performance, including the discipline, 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, leading ballet companies around the world open their studios to the public. The Royal Ballet will begin its broadcast from the Royal Opera House with the company's daily ballet class, streamed live. This is one of the day's most eagerly anticipated events, offering an insight into the dancers' morning routine before rehearsals begin.

The AGERPRES National News Agency is one of the media partners of the event at the Bucharest National Opera. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Florin Marin; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)