The Secret Life of London's Royal Opera House

Raise your hand if it’s your dream to have a private tour of your favorite opera house. Right, so everyone.

(Photo by @whatalexloves, via Instagram)

Thanks to Instagram, we can come pretty close. Following the success of the #emptymet campaign on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Instagram account, the Royal Opera House revealed its behind-the-scenes operations to a lucky group of London Instagrammers. The hashtag? #EmptyROH.

(Photo by @geerhee, via Instagram)

The ’grammers were treated to a morning tour of the opera house, capturing images of the dancers in company class and the costume shops before the daily hustle began.

There’s something so special about the quiet stillness captured in these images—especially since we know how much work and effort is about to take place. Here’s one ’grammer’s take on photographing the Royal Ballet dancers: “It was a very intense moment, and it actually gave me chills.”

We couldn’t agree more. And remember, you can spend even more time behind the scenes with the Royal Ballet on October 1—#WorldBalletDay!