 |
| |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
SPOTLIGHT
ON THE ARTS - December 2001 by Deanna Mascle En Pointe
The Louisville Ballet does have an international reputation that has grown after offering more than 50 world-premiere ballets among its repertoire of 100 works. This reputation, outstanding for a regional ballet company, is further enhanced by such distinctions as being the only regional company with which Mikhail Baryshnikov performed in repertoire productions. He danced during the 1978-79 and 1979-80 seasons with the Louisville Ballet. And there is more. “The Louisville Ballet is best known for its eclectic style and repertory. We are known for commissioning new ballet works with new music to accompany them,” says Louisville Ballet Artistic Director Alun Jones. While proud of its history and tradition of excellence, the company is also dedicated to building its audience of tomorrow and encouraging future dancers and dance lovers. The company’s student education programs reach over 18,000 school children annually through student matinee performances and on-site lecture demonstrations. Although working with children is an important part of its community outreach, the Louisville Ballet also strives to reach as many adults as possible. Beginning this season, the organization created a membership program aimed at reaching a much broader audience. The new membership program reduces ticket prices by up to 50 percent for members while also making the art of ballet more accessible through social and educational events with dancers and staff. The Louisville Ballet continues to look ahead and is currently working on two main initiatives that will play an important part in its future direction – DanceChance and an Annual Tour. DanceChance is a three-step Community Ballet Initiative for young dance lovers. Through this program the Ballet will go into local schools and recruit third-grade students to take dance classes through scholarships sponsored by donations and grants from the community. The second part of the initiative gives school children the opportunity to see ballet as part of an audience experience. The third prong broadens the activities of the Ballet’s Civic Company in an effort to “home grow” dancers from the community to be Louisville Ballet performers. The Ballet hopes to bring dance to the entire commonwealth with the annual Statewide Tour during its 2002-2003 season, which will be the 50th of the Louisville Ballet. “Each touring site will receive two productions, one of The Nutcracker and one of mixed repertory, featuring excerpts from such popular classics as Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, and The Sleeping Beauty,” explains Eva Taylor, the Ballet’s community relations manager. Louisville Ballet performs its regular subscription series, a special Christmas performance of The Nutcracker, and an annual improvisation program, Freeform, to an audience of more than 100,000 people each year. After nearly 50 years, the Louisville
Ballet has much to celebrate. Founded in 1952, the company now employs
30 professional dancers from around the world. Deanna Mascle is a
staff writer for The Lane Report. |
|
|
|
Copyright 1996-2001, by Kentucky Business Online. All rights reserved. Editorial content is
copyright 2001, Lane Communications Group The Lane Report is a trademark of Lane Communications Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. |
People
often associate world-class athletes with Louisville. After all, the
city is the home to the Kentucky Derby and the University of Louisville
Cardinals athletics teams. However, there is another outstanding group
known for endurance, grace, and performance that hails from that city.
This group often performs athletic maneuvers, but is better known for
its artistry. They are the Louisville Ballet.