Dance companies have embraced social media like few others arts organisations – and even the founder of Twitter is a ballet fan. Judith Mackrell visits San Francisco Ballet to find out what new technology can do for dancers and audiences alike. San Francisco Ballet (SFB) may well be at the forefront of this new wave. At their modern, purpose-built base in the city’s Civic Center, I find a company in thrall to social media. “I’m not really a technology person,” shrugs principal ballerina Maria Kochetkova. Yet in 2007, she was one of the first professional dancers to sign up to Twitter and, as @balletrusse, she now has 180,000 followers. Other SFB dancers aren’t far behind. Meanwhile, in the marketing department, there’s a full-time “digital engagement co-ordinator” posting comments on Facebook and Twitter, and drumming up online buzz. [Source]