American Ballet Theater icon Misty Copeland has over 402,000 followers on Instagram. To compare, athletes like Venus and Serena Williams have 89,500 and 992,000 followers, respectively. Michael Phelps has 462,000. Danica Patrick has 26,900.
Of course, ballet is easily the most photogenic of the sports. An art form that toes the line between performance and feats of athleticism, it's filled with pirouettes and arabesques that when frozen in a frame appear like paintings or perfectly sculpted statues. Misty's Instagram account is filled with shots both on and off a stage, flexing her muscles and practicing her craft. And she's hardly the only ballerina -- or ballerino -- to grace the platform. One glimpse at the popular Ballerina Project account, followed by an impressive 641,000, and it's easy to see why dance fans are quick to double click on the endless stream of posed portraits.
We've explored the power of a ballet hashtag before. But now we're focusing on the photos we share and their ability to communicate so much about a realm built on visual splendor. Below we've compiled a list of our favorite ballet and dance-related Instagram accounts, from principals and soloists across the country to the companies that document their every performance and rehearsal with the touch of an iPhone. For those not lucky enough to live down the subway line from Lincoln Center, it's pretty astounding the degree of backstage access you can get from perusing your favorite dancers' accounts.
Dancers:
Sara Mearns Principal at the New York City Ballet
Laurent Liotardo Dancer at the English National Ballet
Misty Copeland Soloist at the American Ballet Theatre
Melissa Chapski Freelance
Diana Vishneva Principal at the Mariinsky Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre
Stephanie Williams Dancer at the American Ballet Theatre
Alexandre Hammoudi Soloist at the American Ballet Theatre
Isabella Boylston Principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre
Desmond S. Richardson Co-founder of Complexions Contemporary Ballet
Wendy Whelan Former Principal at the New York City Ballet
Shiori Kase Soloist at the English National Ballet
Michaela DePrince Dancer at the Dutch National Ballet
Katie Williams Dancer at the American Ballet Theatre
Lauren Cuthbertson Principal at the Royal Ballet
Katie Boren Dancer at the Boston Ballet
Companies:
New York City Ballet
Dance Theater of Harlem
Kansas City Ballet
Los Angeles Ballet
Martha Graham Dance
Ballet San Jose
Miami City Ballet
Pilobolus
The Royal Ballet
San Francisco Ballet
New York Live Arts
Boston Ballet
American Ballet Theater
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