"Sunday Morning" Matinee: "A Night at the Ballet"

"A Night at the Ballet," an event to support the performing arts community during the COVID-19 pandemic, will be streamed on YouTube December 17-20.

The 60-minute program, presented by Live Arts Global, will feature dancers from American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Dance Theater of Harlem, Mariinsky Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, and former stars of the Alvin Ailey company performing excerpts from "Don Quixote," "The Nutcracker," "Romeo and Juliet" and more.

Live Arts Global co-founder and ballerina Melanie Hamrick said, "The past year has been challenging for many of us in the dance and theater community. With the holidays approaching, my partners at Live Arts Global and I wanted to give back not only to dance and theater lovers, but also to compensate the artists, stage crew, and staff who have been out of work.

"'A Night at the Ballet' is an opportunity to appreciate the classics, while also providing financial support to artists and crew," she said.

Click on the video player below to watch a message from Melanie Hamrick, and a sneak peek from "A Night at the Ballet": an excerpt of "After the Rain," performed by Unity Phelan (New York City Ballet soloist) and Calvin Royal III (American Ballet Theatre principal dancer):

Hamrick, a choreographer and former dancer with American Ballet Theatre, co-founded Live Arts Global with Christine Shevchenko (a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre), and Joanna DeFelice, a choreographer, former ballerina and contemporary artist.

The ballet will be available to stream free, but donations are appreciated, with all proceeds going directly to the artists performing and producing the event; any additional funds raised will be distributed to struggling dance companies across the United States.

• For more information about "A Night at the Ballet" and Live Arts Global, visit liveartsglobal.com.
• To make a charitable donation, please click here.