Royal New Zealand Ballet

Ballet performances come to the screen

Royal New Zealand Ballet on Screen
Client
Royal New Zealand Ballet
Year
2022
Experience yourself
View Project
Type
Website

The concept

Performing ballet for audiences is at the very heart of what the RNZB does, and lives for. The pandemic has, more than once, pulled the rug out from under ready-to-perform shows at the last minute. It was time for a rethink about how to reach audiences.

BALLET BITES was conceived from this devastating situation, with the last straw being the cancelling of the Swan Lake shows in 2022.

The idea was simple- bring the ballet to the audience.

A cinematic feel

From the initial briefing about this "mini digital festival" to the delivery of the website, there was a total of TWO WEEKS. We had to move quickly - but we also wanted something completely new and fresh, so the nature of this new offering was distinct.

The opportunity was there to bring a cinematic feel into the design, and to use a more kinetic approach to convey the heart of the ballet - movement. The emphasis on cinematic and visual stories, unencumbered by the main site requirements, meant that the "screen.rnzb" sub-site was born.

Our primary goal was to sell tickets, but also to reach a wider audience - there is no theatre capacity to limit us when we're online.

“We are having FABULOUS feedback on the new web page for Ballet Bites, thank you so much for the amazing and speedy work.”

“Thank you so much RNZB, I have thoroughly enjoyed watching all the ballets you have streamed since covid hit. I hope you continue to screen more for those of us who are now unable to attend performances.”

“An excellent collection of contemporary ballet. The presentations, the dances, dancing and staging providing creative performances I greatly enjoyed. The online purchase that allows repeated watching of the ballets.”

A grateful audience:

The feedback that flooded in moved us to tears. We were so proud to prioritise our time to such great use and help the Ballet and their collaborators getting back on their feet, or should we say pointe shoes.

We'd say that's two weeks well spent; it was a hell of a pivot; it moved our audience old and new; and resulted in a distinctly fresh new offering.

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