It's been a breakthrough year for ballet in advertising.
It started off on the wrong foot with the notorious Free People ad, but it at least got people talking. Then the New York City Ballet did its remarkable 9/11 film via DDB New York. And of course, American Ballet Theatre soloist Misty Copeland did her amazing spot for Under Armour.
Now, the New York City Ballet is back in another fun and inspired project: a BBH New York campaign for PlayStation that shows gamers how to do a proper victory dance after crushing a friend/foe in sports, war, space and heist games.
Check out six spots below, in which NYCB dancers, in ballet-ified character dress, act out scenes from video games. Each ad begins with classical dance moves, but before long, after they vanquish their opponents, the dancers break out with moves that are way more down and dirty.
"Send them to your friends to remind them of that lead you stole, the last goal you made, the grenade that ended the match or the dunk you landed on their face. Don't let them forget it," the brand says on its blog.
There's a social element, too. Gamers who share their own victory dance on Instagram with the hashtag #PS4dancecontest could win a PS4 for themselves and one for a friend—which should ease the pain of any bruised egos.
CREDITS
Client: PlayStation
Senior Vice President, Brand Marketing: Guy Longworth
Vice President, Platform Marketing: John Koller
Senior Director, Home Consoles: Franco de Cesare
Senior Brand Manager, Home Consoles: Tyler Vaught
Brand Manager, Home Consoles: Cristian Cardona
Associate Brand Managers: Cody Morales, Mia Putrino
Agency: Bartle Bogle Hegarty, New York
Chief Creative Officer: John Patroulis
Executive Creative Director: Ari Weiss
Creative: Dave Brown, Ian Hart
Art Director: Joyce Kuan
Copywriter: Jamie Rome
Head of Integrated Production, Technology: Carey Head
Head of Content Production: Kate Morrison
Senior Content Producer: John Riddle
Content Producer: Christina Carter
Senior Producer: Douglas Stivers
User Experience Director: Kelly Bignell-Asedo
Creative Technologies: Anthony Terruso
Head of Art Production: Rebecca O'Neill
Head of Account Management: Armando Turco
Account Director: Melissa Hill
Account Manager: Mark Williams
Account Executive: Mike Mueller
Strategy Director: Kendra Salvatore
Head of Communications Planning: Julian Cole
Communications Planner: Ben Zoll
Head of Business Affairs: Sean McGee
New York City Ballet
Choreographer: Troy Schumacher:
Dancers: Olivia Boisson, Zachary Catazaro, Emilie Gerrity, Craig Hall, Brittany Pollack, Amar Ramasar
Senior Marketing Director: Karen Girty
Media Projects Director: Ellen Bar
Corporate Relations Director: Fredrick Wodin
Corporate Relations Manager: Galina Khitrova
Production: Skunk
Director: Jonathan Augustavo
Managing Partner, Executive Producer: Matt Factor
Executive Producer: Shelly Townsend
Head of Production: Jeanne Stawiarski
Producer: Annalise Rowane
Director of Photography: Sing Howe Yam
Production Designer: Michael Bednark
First Assistant Director: Arie Bordas
Second Assistant Director: John Scott Wilson
Production Supervisor: Rosanna Pandolfo
Assistant Production Supervisor: Ruth Martinez
Editing, Postproduction: Arcade Edit
Editor: Nick Rondeau
Assistant Editor: Dan Gutterman
Flame Artist: Tristian Wake
Executive Producer: Sila Soyer
Producer: Lauren Cancelosi
Telecine: The Mill
Colorist: Fergus McCall
Executive Producer: Dee Allen
Producer: Heath Raymond
Original Music, Composers: Beacon Street Studios
Executive Producer: Adrea Lavezzoli
Licensed Music: APM Music
Key Account Director: Deborah Fisher
Audio Mixing: Sound Lounge
Partner, Mixer: Tom Jucarone
Executive Producer: Vicky Ferraro
Producer: Toria Sheffield
Digital Design, Development: Domani Studios
Creative Director: Jon Lander
Senior Designer: Dan Ashley
Interactive Developers: Steve Matysik, Steve Young
Director of Front-End Technology: Matt Wilcox
Quality Assurance Lead: Taylor Hills
Interactive Producer: Nirmala Shome