If you’re a foodie, you stay plugged into the restaurant scene and keep an ear to the ground for the latest local hot spots that open up in the neighborhood. But truffle oil, foie gras and Michelin stars aren’t the currency of the everyman. It’s a privilege to drop a couple hundred bucks on a good meal and a fancy bottle of wine – and that’s only if you’re lucky enough to finagle a coveted table reservation. Even in the best of times, fine dining is an exclusive affair.

Now consider performative dance. Ballet cognoscente are an even smaller, more restricted club. Exposure to this classical art form has traditionally been limited by class and cultural boundaries, which has insulated ballet within certain demographics and rendered it largely a mystery to mainstream society. (For easy reference, see “Billy Elliot.”)

But like any interpretive art, ballet is best appreciated by all. The form grows when understood and expressed through new viewpoints, a wider audience and shared experience. The Louvre, Guggenheim and Chicago Museum of Art are open to the public, beckoning aficionados and amateurs alike. Why should ballet be any different? In other words, there’s nothing wrong with your hedge fund manager taking in a performance of “La Bayadère,” but why should he – and a small gathering of similarly situated individuals – appreciate it alone? What if the Joffrey Ballet were able to send out its Bat Signal to, say, your barber Sal?

It’s not as wild as it may sound. With the power of today’s over-the-top media services, ballet as a genre has a chance to connect with new populations and generations – all of them potential devotees, or even dancers themselves – like never before. Many Americans’ entire ballet experience may amount to a few brief glimpses of a PBS “Nutcracker” performance while channel surfing – and even those moments of chance are disappearing in the age of on-demand entertainment. OTT may be one of the best ways to extend the reach and ensure the long-term  vibrance of ballet.

Producing a performance is a relatively straightforward and cost-effective process, and it becomes a no-brainer for a ballet company when this recording can be easily streamed and monetized. A theater no longer needs to be an island, settling on the limited occupancy of a given space or an audience unbound by financial constraints. Online video streaming and monetization tools opened a lifeline for musicians, “virtually” filling empty stages across the globe. A streamed performance can be shared anytime, nearly anywhere in the world, and offered at a fraction of the cost to attend a performance in person — identifying a way for the creative arts sector to generate new additional revenue streams in the future. 

InPlayer leverages the combination of live streaming and digital engagement to open up live theatres to new audiences globally, build a real community around live events and generate valuable revenue with premium viewing experiences and secure pay-per-view/ subscription monetization models. 

With flexible offerings such as InPlayer “Moment” , any fan can be given a taste of what a ballet performance is like. By watching just a few minutes — or highlights in sports parlance — ballet productions can promote and attract more fans by showcasing the most athletic and coordinating endeavors in a given show. This InPlayer product allows producers to use this content to tantalize would-be fans with small bites of content — all without a subscription.

Video on-demand OTT is an add-on opportunity for ballet companies to extend the life of the live shows – an extra revenue stream that invites regular ballet attendees to view even more performances while welcoming new appreciators of the form. If classical dance is to flourish in an age of unlimited and easy-access entertainment, a pivot toward streaming and the open arms of a wider audience may be its best option.

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