The Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg is to broadcast the world’s first live 3D ballet on June 6. The performance of Swan Lake, starring Yekaterina Kondaurova and Timur Askerov in the lead roles, will be conducted by Valery Gergiev, and streamed to over 1200 cinemas in 50 countries around the globe. There will also be parallel broadcasts in 2D.

James Cameron (director of Avatar and Titanic) and Vince Pace will provide leading 3D technology through their Cameron Pace Group. This will ensure the size of the equipment is reduced to a minimum and can be positioned as close as possible to the dancers to achieve the best possible effect. A total of eight cameras will capture the action from a number of different perspectives. The project’s production company is the UK’s Glass Slipper Live Events, while director of the broadcast is Ross MacGibbon, a former dancer at Covent Garden.

The Mariinsky theatre staged its first Internet broadcast in 1992, and recorded its first 3D ballet in April 2010. Both Giselle (April 2010) and The Nutcracker (Dec 2011) were released by NCM Fathom Events, More2Screen and EuroArts Music at 500 digital cinemas in countries throughout the world.

For details of cinemas broadcasting the Mariinsky’s live Swan Lake and to book tickets visit mariinskycinema.com.