On October 1, 2014, five of the world’s top ballet companies will come together to celebrate World Ballet Day with a 24-hour live stream featuring a no-holds-barre glimpse into a day in the life of professional ballet dancers.
Throughout the day, the Australian Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, The Royal Ballet, The National Ballet of Canada, and San Francisco Ballet will each take centre stage for 4 hours, showcasing a behind-the-scenes look at where all the action happens—the rehearsal studio.
As a mom of two aspiring dancers, I know my girls will be glued to the live stream before and after school and in the days to come on You Tube as they catch up on what they missed. So when I had the opportunity to interview The National Ballet’s Second Soloist, Jenna Savella, about World Ballet Day, of course I asked her all about . . . SNACKS!
In our conversation, Jenna told me that she was excited to reveal to the world what actually happens in rehearsals because “most people never get to see what happens before the show. They only ever get to see the final result.” During the World Ballet Day live stream, the National Ballet of Canada will be will be rehearsing Manon and Nijinsky. But Jenna says ballerinas do get (some) downtime during rehearsals, which is when they sew their shoes, study for school, start businesses, and, of course, snack!
Some of Jenna’s favourite snacks include: “nuts, snap peas, granola bars, anything quick and easy to eat to during 5 minute breaks.”
Here are some great recipes inspired by Jenna’s favourite snacks to help you celebrate National Ballet Day.
Snap peas with this yummy Hummus or this Protein-Packed Roasted Red Pepper Hummus.
These easy Cinnamon Sugar Almonds.
Easy Cranberry Almond Granola Bars or these Nut-Free, School-Safe, Homemade Granola Bars.
Of course, if you’re looking for something a little sweeter, then I would recommend my kids’ favourite cookies—Oatmeal Chocolate Chip. They may not be granola bar-ish, but they do have oatmeal in them!
I also asked Jenna what her favourite meal is that her mom makes back home in British Columbia, and without hesitation she told me, “Lumpia, a traditional Filipino spring roll.” Since Jenna admits they are “not so healthy but delicious,” and I am certain anything I made could never compare to her mom’s, we’ll be making Fresh Avocado and Chicken Rolls, which are my kids’ favourite rolled-up goodness. But if you don’t have time for rolling, you can try this Nutty Noodle Salad.
To learn more about World Ballet Day be sure to visit http://national.ballet.ca/worldballetday/ and check out this video—my girls have already watched it more than a dozen times!
Happy World Ballet Day everyone!
Photo Credit: Jenna Savella in rehearsal for Nijinsky. Photo by Bruce Zinger.
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