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
PlayStation: Client
Guy Longworth: Senior Vice President Brand Marketing
John Koller: VP Platform Marketing
Franco de Cesare: Senior Director Home Consoles
Tyler Vaught: Senior Brand Manager Home Consoles
Cristian Cardona: Brand Manager Home Consoles
Cody Morales: Associate Brand Manager
Mia Putrino: Associate Brand Manager
Bartle Bogle Hegarty, New York: Agency
John Patroulis: Chief Creative Officer
Ari Weiss: Executive Creative Director
Dave Brown: Creative
Ian Hart: Creative
Joyce Kuan: Art Director
Jamie Rome: Copywriter
Carey Head: Head of Integrated Production & Technology
Kate Morrison: Head of Content Production
John Riddle: Senior Content Producer
Christina Carter: Content Producer
Douglas Stivers: Senior Producer
Kelly Bignell-Asedo: UX Director
Anthony Terruso: Creative Technologist
Rebecca O'Neill: Head of Art Production
Armando Turco: Head of Account Management
Melissa Hill: Account Director
Mark Williams: Account Manager
Mike Mueller: Account Executive
Kendra Salvatore: Strategy Director
Julian Cole: Head of Comms Planning
Ben Zoll: Comms Planner
Sean McGee: Head of Business Affairs
New York City Ballet: Partner/Talent
Troy Schumacher: Choreographer
Olivia Boisson: Dancer
Zachary Catazaro: Dancer
Emilie Gerrity: Dancer
Craig Hall: Dancer
Brittany Pollack: Dancer
Amar Ramasar: Dancer
Karen Girty: Senior Director of Marketing
Ellen Bar: Director of Media Projects
Fredrick Wodin: Director, Corporate Relations
Galina Khitrova: Manager, Corporate Relations
Skunk: Production
Jonathan Augustavo: Director
Matt Factor: Managing Partner/EP
Shelly Townsend: Executive Producer
Jeanne Stawiarski: Head of Production
Annalise Rowane: Producer
Sing Howe Yam: Director of Photography
Michael Bednark: Production Designer
Arle Bordas: 1st Assistant Director
John Scott Wilson: 2nd Assistant Director
Rosanna Pandolfo: Production Supervisor
Ruth Martinez: Assistant Production Supervisor
Arcade Edit: Editorial/Post Production
Nick Rondeau: Editor
Dan Gutterman: Assistant Editor
Tristian Wake: Flame Artist
Sila Soyer: Executive Producer
Lauren Cancelosi: Producer
The Mill: Telecine
Fergus McCall: Colorist
Dee Allen: Executive Producer
Heath Raymond: Producer
Beacon Street Studios: Original Music
Beacon Street Studios: Composers
Adrea Lavezzoli: Executive Producer
APM Music: Licensed Music
Deborah Fisher: Key Account Director
Sound Lounge: Audio Mixing
Tom Jucarone: Partner/Mixer
Vicky Ferraro: Executive Producer
Toria Sheffield: Producer
DOMANI Studios: Digital Design and Development
Jon Lander: Creative Director
Dan Ashley: Senior Designer
Steve Matysik: Interactive Developer
Steve Young: Interactive Developer
Matt Wilcox: Director of Front End Technology
Taylor Hills: QA Lead
Nirmala Shome: Interactive Producer