I posted this on the Pennsylvania Ballet forum, but for those who might have missed it, Pa Ballet has a novel marketing idea for next season -- they're out to smash a Guinness World Record.

PENNSYLVANIA BALLET OFFERS TWO WAYS TO
CELEBRATE ITS 40th ANNIVERSARY

In celebration of its 40th anniversary, Pennsylvania Ballet will begin its season with two special events – a Guinness Book of World Records event and a “Night on the Town” contest.

On Saturday, September 20, Pennsylvania Ballet invites dancers of all ages to help set a record for the most people standing on pointe at one time for the Guinness Book of World Records. This event, hosted by a CBS 3 news personality and sponsored by WTPT 96.5 “The Point,” will take place at 3 p.m. in Love Park on 16th Street and JFK Boulevard. The event is being held in conjunction with Philadelphia’s College Fest, an annual festival on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway that gives college students throughout the region a taste of the many different cultural activities the city has to offer.

Many dancers from Pennsylvania Ballet and Pennsylvania Ballet II along with hundreds of students from several dance schools from the region are participating to help make this a memorable occasion. This exciting event is open to the public and anyone wishing to participate should register by calling (215) 551-7000, ext. 1226.

For those who are not balletically-inclined, Pennsylvania Ballet is hosting a contest to win a “Night on the Town.” On October 8, 2003, the winner and a guest will be picked up at his or her home in a limousine, compliments of All American Limo, and treated to dinner at Sole Food, the fun, new restaurant at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel. Then they will be taken to Pennsylvania Ballet’s opening night performance of A Fancy 40th, featuring George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco and The Four Temperaments, and the exciting premiere of Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free.

People can enter to win this extraordinary “Night on the Town” on Pennsylvania Ballet’s website, www.paballet.org, between September 12 and September 26. The winner will be chosen on September 29. For complete contest rules, visit the website or call (215) 551-7000, ext. 1226.

Founded in 1963, Pennsylvania Ballet is widely recognized as one of the leading ballet companies in the nation. The Company is celebrating its 40th anniversary this season with popular works from the Company’s history, two company premieres and two world premieres commissioned for the 40th Anniversary – including a new, million dollar, full-length production of Swan Lake by world-renowned choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. For information, call (215) 551-7000 or visit the website at www.paballet.org.

I wish them the best, although I must say that's one of the dumber records I can recall. (However, it's been a long time since I browsed through one of the Guinness editions, so I'm sure there are even more absurd ones out there.)

I'm also not sure I'd start off a ballet newbie with a program featuring Barocco and Four Ts.......

Depends on the newbie, of course, but I think if they're unconvinced by Barocco, they're safely categorized as Not A Ballet Person. :nopity: :nopity:

I should note that in the mid-70s, PaB did a terrific Barocco. Just wonderful.

Out of curiosity, what is the current world record for number of people standing en pointe at one time? Is it perhaps the original Nutcracker snow scene with 60 dancers? Or were all 60 never en pointe at once?

I don't think Guinness has this category yet, although the NYC "tap-in" is there. In one production of Bayadere, they had supernumerary corps enter after the initial entrée of the Shades to boost the total number of ghosts to 72. But I don't think they were ever all on pointe at the same time.

i have no facts & figures but balletto grande - the italian tradition of large-scale ballet theater - looks pretty strong - numberwise - in several pictures i've seen. i have no accurate sense of how large the spectacles got, but isolated pictures of EXCELSIOR, for ex, seem to present 'casts of thousands' and i assume there was a modicum of pointe tech. involved in italian ballet ensembles, but as i say i know no hard facts.