We need your support to continue in Orlando!

Dear WBC Participants & Supporters,

We would like to thank you all for a great 2011 event! Our fifth competition was a great success, filled with tremendous talent, and we thank you for your standing ovation and appreciation for what you saw!

Unfortunately, our event is not supported by our local county or city. Each year we bring unbelievable talent to the city - from as far away as Australia, Spain, and Ukraine! However, this year we did not receive the Cultural Tourism Funding grant provided by Orange County. The purpose of the grant is to bring tourist dollars to Orange County through the arts and our competition was created specifically for this grant. Our 2011 event brought over 120 participants from 18 countries and 20 USA states to Orlando. The WBC allowed these dancers to be seen by directors and choreographers worldwide with the potential to be offered dance scholarships, job offers, cash prizes, and worldwide exposure. This year we gave more than $65,000 in cash prizes and scholarships to the world's leading dance schools. Several dancers landed full year contracts in the International Job Fair and our Master Class Workshop inspired local dancers with classes taught by famed artists. Most notably, the concluding All Stars of Dance performance gave Orlando a performance to remember for years to come!

We live here in this community and would be proud to keep the World Ballet Competition in Orlando, Florida - an event which the community should embrace. Such a high quality event include lots of costs in monetary funds, time, and energy and we cannot continue this event in Orlando without the support of our local government and our community! Most of you witnessed the greatness of the World Ballet Competition and embraced it with a final standing ovation. Therefore we are now asking for your support in pleading with our government in Florida. This competition is recognized as one of the top competitions internationally and is praised by dance critics as well as company directors across the world. Therefore, please share your appreciation for what you saw with the Mayor of Orlando and Mayor of Orange County. Ask to keep the WBC here in Orlando and explain the talent you saw throughout the week is unlike anything you have seen in Orlando! Otherwise, the WBC will be moving to a new city or country!

Half way through the week!

We are half way through the 5th World Ballet Competition! Lots of exciting & thrilling moments. Lots of twists and turns - no pun intended. Finals for the Preparatory Category are tonight along with the Introductory Category - which has only one round! Tomorrow the ensembles and pas de deux categories will make their long anticipated debut.

Any favorite moments from this week? Anything that has surprised you? Let us know by commenting below. See you tonight at the theatre or online!

ANSWERS - WBC World Records!

Since it's inauguration in 2007, the World Ballet Competition has set two world records! Read below to discover what they were!

World Record #1: In 2007, the World Ballet Competition (WBC) became the first competition to be use a computerized scoring system similar to the Olympics - with scores announced after each competitor's routine!

World Record #2: In 2008, the World Ballet Competition (WBC) became the first competition to be entirely broadcast LIVE on the internet.

What is the next world record the WBC should attempt to break?

SECRET - WBC WORLD RECORDS!!

Since the WBC's inauguration in 2007, which records have the World Ballet Competition set?!?

Hint: It is internet related!

Post your guesses below & find out the answer tomorrow!

The WBC has Arrived!! Begins today @ 5pm!

Commercial FREE and full of TALENT, the World Ballet Competition officially kicks off at 5:00pm today (New York Time). Competitors from across the globe have gathered in Orlando, Florida to impress judges and international online viewers! They will continue in different categories between Monday, May 30 - Friday, June 3. Winning competitors will be featured in the acclaimed "All Stars of Dance" performance among stars from New York City Ballet, Boston Ballet, MOMIX, and the Paul Taylor Dance Company to be held Saturday, June 4 @ 7:30pm!



Watch the competition rounds for yourself, in person at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center for $10 per day OR online for free at http://www.WBCorlando.com. Tickets to view the competition in person are $10 per day or $35 for 5-day pass. Purchases can be made online or at 407.849.9948.

Ex- Baryshnikov Searches for Super Star at WBC

This Sunday, May 29, 2011 one of ballet’s finest, Marianna Tcherkassky, will arrive in Orlando, Florida to judge at one of the most prestigious international ballet competitions, the World Ballet Competition. As a dancing partner of Mikhail Baryshnikov, Marianna’s presence will bring a huge level of history to the competition.

Ms. Tcherkassky was recognized as one of the world’s leading ballerinas and was reviewed as “one of the greatest Giselle that American ballet produced” by Anna Kisselgoff of the New York Times. She danced in a generation where every American knew the name “Baryshnikov” of whom attracted a fan following equivalent to a modern day movie star.

Fast-forward to 2011, Ms. Tcherkassky is now the Ballet Mistress at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and hopes to find another ballet superstar at the World Ballet Competition. “We are still waiting for the next “Baryshnikov”. Americans have lost the fire and passion for ballet he was able to bring them through his magnetic charm and powerful dancing. Finding the next superstar will not be an easy task, but it will be a momentous occasion for audiences and the arts alike!” says Tcherkassky.

Started only in 2007, the World Ballet Competition has taken over the successful formula already implemented in ‘American Idol’ to make ballet more appealing to American audiences. Dancers of the highest caliber compete in 3 eliminating rounds, are broadcast live on the internet worldwide, and placed under rigorous evaluation of a prominent panel of judges.

Beginning Monday, May 30 – Friday, June 3, the search continues when nearly 120 competitors from over 18 countries will compete in three eliminating rounds for cash prizes, scholarships, and job offers totaling more than $80,000 (including the coveted Grand Prix of $10,000)! Countries represented are Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Japan, Italy, Mexico, Poland, Puerto Rico, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Venezuela, Ukraine, and the USA. Tickets are $10 per day or $35 for the 5-day WBC Pass.

Not in Orlando? Watch the LIVE broadcast online at www.WBCorlando.com. You can follow your favorite dancer’s score and chat with other online viewers. Since 2007, internet viewers of the competition have already surpassed 1.5 million on YouTube and Livestream.com alone.

The WBC culminates on Saturday, June 4^th with the electrifying "All Stars of Dance" performance at 7:30 pm. This one night only performance features the winners of the 2011 WBC sharing the stage with stars from New York City Ballet, Boston Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, MOMIX, and an exclusive world premiere choreographed by Viktor Plotnikov! The All Stars of Dance will be held at the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center in Orlando, Florida. Tickets ranging from $25 - $100 are on sale now at http://WBCorlando.com or by phone at 407.849.9948.

Tickets to competition rounds (beginning at 5:00pm daily) are on sale now. Purchase can be made online at www.WBCorlando.com or by calling 407.849.9948.

1st Photo By: Howard Dando, 2nd Photo: Virginia Trudeau & Deedee Sherman

Share Your Performance!

Dear WBC Competitor,

Share your performances with your family & friends! They can watch you dance LIVE on the Internet all week at http://WBCorlando.com!

You can also SHARE any of the following on your Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace page starting now and throughout the week of the competition! Or any other social networking site!

WBC Livestream: livestream.com/wbcorlando

WBC Facebook: facebook.com/wbc.orlando

WBC Youtube: youtube.com/wbcorlando

WBC Official Blog: wbcorlando.blogspot.com

WBC Twitter: twitter.com/wbcorlando

We look forward to sharing your thrilling performances with your family, friends, and colleagues!! See you there!

Photo Credits: VAM Productions