The Dayton Ballet is a
ballet company A ballet company is a type of dance troupe which performs classical ballet, neoclassical ballet, and/or contemporary ballet in the European tradition, plus managerial and support staff. Most major ballet companies employ dancers on a year-round ba ...
based in
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...
.
The Dayton Ballet was founded in 1937, making it the second oldest regional ballet company in the United States. Dayton Ballet seasons typically comprise four works—familiar traditional ballets, such as ''The Nutcracker'', as well as new and innovative works—and over 40 performances.
The Dayton Ballet performs in the historic 1,139-seat
Victoria Theatre (Dayton, Ohio)
The Victoria Theatre is a historic 1,154-seat performing arts venue located in downtown Dayton, Ohio. The Victoria presents traveling broadway shows, concerts and other theatrical productions such as ''The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical), The ...
and the 2,300-seat
Schuster Performing Arts Center
The Schuster Performing Arts Center is located in Dayton, Ohio and was built in 2003 to serve as Dayton's principal center of the lively arts. It is owned and operated by the Victoria Theatre Association and occupies the former site of Rike's de ...
.
Part of the
Dayton Performing Arts Alliance The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance is a nonprofit performing arts association located in Dayton, Ohio and composed of three performing arts groups: the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Dayton Opera, and the Dayton Ballet and incorporated as a 501 ...
, which also oversees the
Dayton Opera
Dayton Opera is an American opera company based in Dayton, Ohio. The company makes its home at the Schuster Performing Arts Center in downtown Dayton where it annually produces three operas and an operatic concert and has an annual budget of appro ...
and the
Dayton Philharmonic The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO) is a fully professional musical group in Dayton, Ohio, formed in 1933. It is a member of the League of American Orchestras (LAO) and the Regional Orchestra Players' Association (ROPA), and presents programs ma ...
, the ballet receives administrative and operational leadership and support from its parent organization. Karen Russo Burke has been the Artistic Director of the Dayton Ballet since 2011.
History
Dayton Ballet had its beginning when Josephine (Jo) Schwarz and her sister Hermene opened The Schwarz School of Dance in 1927. Jo Schwarz later studied ballet and danced in Chicago, in New York at the School of American Ballet, and in Europe. She danced on
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
, but was forced to return home to Dayton after being injured while performing there. In May 1938, Jo and Hermene gathered together the school's finest dancers, named the troupe "The Experimental Group for Young Dancers," and staged a performance at the
Dayton Art Institute
The Dayton Art Institute (DAI) is a museum of fine arts in Dayton, Ohio, United States. The Dayton Art Institute has been rated one of the top 10 best art museums in the United States for children. The museum also ranks in the top 3% of all art mus ...
. This was the first performance of what is now the Dayton Ballet.
Jo was a pioneer of the American regional ballet movement of the mid-20th century. Through years of persistence, she made Dayton a center of dance. In 1958, the company restructured as the Dayton Civic Ballet, with a board of directors, and federal tax-exempt status. In 1959, the Dayton Civic Ballet became a chartered member of the Northeast Regional Ballet Association. The Schwarz sisters organized many regional dance festivals and choreography conferences. In 1978, the company dropped the "Civic" designation and became the fully professional Dayton Ballet.
1980–1990
Stuart Sebastian, a student of Josephine and Hermene Schwarz, assumed directorship of the company in 1980 at the invitation of Josephine Schwarz. He had danced professionally for the Dayton Ballet and the National Ballet of Washington before assuming the role. He had also choreographed in New York, Germany and England.
[ Sebastian led the Dayton Ballet for 10 years, in which time the company rose in stature and status.
Sebastian brought in new dancers and created the company's first full-length ballet, ''The Sleeping Beauty''. He choreographed over 25 new works. Of those, six were full-length ballets, including Swan Lake and Dracula. Under Sebastian, the Dayton Ballet toured more than 75 cities and took its first international tour to Jerash, Jordan. In 1988, the company appeared on national television while performing in the opening ceremonies of the ]Pan American Games
The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...
.
Transition: 1991-1993
Following the departure of Stuart Sebastian in 1990 and his subsequent death in January 1991 after a lengthy battle with AIDS,[ the company entered a period of transition. James Clouser, former artistic director of the ]Houston Ballet
Houston Ballet, operated by Houston Ballet Foundation, is a professional ballet company based in Houston, Texas. The company, consisting of 59 dancers, produces over 85 performances per year.
History
Tatiana Semenova (1955–1967)
Houston dev ...
, was brought in on a three year contract. It was a bumpy and tumultuous time for the company, and a time of considerable change. Clouser was the first outside, non-Daytonian director, the Dayton Ballet had ever seen, and was a considerable break from the company's past directors. Many dancers and staff from the previous era left, and many new dancers and staff were hired. According to ''Dayton Daily News
The ''Dayton Daily News'' (''DDN'') is a daily newspaper published in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It is owned by Cox Enterprises, Inc., a privately held global conglomerate headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, with approximately ...
'' articles written during the transition, the board of trustees was looking for change and that is why they brought in someone from the outside. In the fall of 1992 an executive director was brought in for the very first time in the company's history: Dermot Burke.
Recent history: 1993–2011
Dermot Burke was a star principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet
The Joffrey Ballet is one of the premier dance companies and training institutions in the world today. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the Joffrey regularly performs classical and contemporary ballets during its annual performance season at Lyric O ...
in New York and had been artistic director of the American Repertory Ballet
The American Repertory Ballet (ARB) is an American ballet company based in New Jersey.
The company was founded by Audrée Estey in 1963, as the Princeton Regional Ballet Company. In 1978, it became a professional company and was renamed Princeton ...
in New Jersey for 10 years. He knew and choreographed for Sebastian and the Dayton Ballet back in 1984. In the Fall of 1993 Dermot assumed the dual role of executive and artistic director of the company.
Under Dermot Burke, the company took on a more American flavor in the tradition of the Joffrey Ballet
The Joffrey Ballet is one of the premier dance companies and training institutions in the world today. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the Joffrey regularly performs classical and contemporary ballets during its annual performance season at Lyric O ...
, embracing distinctly American dance literature, dancers and choreographers. There was also a shift to a "repertory company with lots of choreographic voices," as Burke stated. This repertory includes and has held onto the work of Sebastian and the company's past, while at the same time including the work of outside choreographers.
In 2011 Karen Russo Burke became Artistic Director of the Dayton Ballet before it merged with the Dayton Opera and the Dayton Philharmonic to form the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance in 2012.
2012 merger
Following more than two years of planning, the Dayton Ballet, Dayton Opera
Dayton Opera is an American opera company based in Dayton, Ohio. The company makes its home at the Schuster Performing Arts Center in downtown Dayton where it annually produces three operas and an operatic concert and has an annual budget of appro ...
, and Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO) is a fully professional musical group in Dayton, Ohio, formed in 1933. It is a member of the League of American Orchestras (LAO) and the Regional Orchestra Players' Association (ROPA), and presents programs ma ...
—Dayton’s three classical performing arts organizations—became a new, single entity on July 1, 2012. This new organization was named the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance. It is the largest performing arts organization in the community. Dayton Performing Arts Alliance The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance is a nonprofit performing arts association located in Dayton, Ohio and composed of three performing arts groups: the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Dayton Opera, and the Dayton Ballet and incorporated as a 501 ...
performances are made possible in part by Montgomery County and Culture Works. The organization also receives partial funding from the Ohio Arts Council
The Ohio Arts Council (OAC) is an agency serving the U.S. state of Ohio.
History
Established in 1965, its mission is to "foster and encourage the development of the arts and assist the preservation of Ohio's cultural heritage." Each year it award ...
.
The new organization has one administrative and operational core with one CEO and executive director, with each performing arts unit retaining its own artistic director.
Dayton Ballet School
The company's dependent dance school, Dayton Ballet School, is the oldest dance school
A dance studio is a space in which dancers learn or rehearse. The term is typically used to describe a space that has either been built or equipped for the purpose.
Overview
A dance studio normally includes a smooth floor covering or, if used f ...
in Dayton and one of the oldest in the US. It is the only school in the Miami Valley
The Miami Valley is the land area surrounding the Great Miami River in southwest Ohio, USA, and includes the Little Miami, Mad, and Stillwater rivers as well. Geographically, it includes Dayton, Springfield, Middletown, Hamilton, and other c ...
that is linked to a professional dance company.
Notable Alumni
* Jeraldyne Blunden
Jeraldyne Blunden (1940–1999) was the founder and artistic director of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.
Jeraldyne Blunden left a permanent mark on the field of contemporary dance by founding the oldest modern dance company in Ohio and ins ...
, founder and former director of the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company
Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, which was founded in 1968 by Dayton, Ohio native, Jeraldyne Blunden, is the oldest modern dance company in Ohio, and one of the largest companies of its kind between Chicago and New York City.
History
The Dayt ...
.
* Dan Duell, dancer with the New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...
and artistic director of Ballet Chicago.
* Joseph Duell
Joseph Duell (April 30, 1956 – February 16, 1986) was an American dancer and choreographer for the New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln K ...
, dancer with the New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...
.
* Jeff Gribler, dancer and ballet master with the Pennsylvania Ballet
The Philadelphia Ballet, formerly known as Pennsylvania Ballet until rebranding in 2021, is Philadelphia's largest ballet company. The company's annual local season features six programs of classic favorites, as well as new works, including the Ph ...
.
* Peter LeBreton Merz, dancer with Louisville Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet, Director of the Academy at Ballet West in Salt Lake City, UT.
* Stuart Sebastian, former Dayton Ballet Artistic Director and dancer with National Ballet of Washington.
* Donna Wood, dancer with Alvin Ailey
Alvin Ailey Jr. (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989) was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Alvin Ailey American Dance Cente ...
.
* Rebecca Wright
Rebecca Wright (5 December 1947, Springfield, Ohio – 29 January 2006, Chevy Chase, Maryland) was an American ballerina, teacher, choreographer and ballet school director.
Biography
Her background in gymnastics and tap dance was a pivotal influ ...
, dancer with American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual ei ...
, on Broadway in Merlin, and with the Joffrey Ballet.
See also
*Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO) is a fully professional musical group in Dayton, Ohio, formed in 1933. It is a member of the League of American Orchestras (LAO) and the Regional Orchestra Players' Association (ROPA), and presents programs ma ...
*Dayton Opera
Dayton Opera is an American opera company based in Dayton, Ohio. The company makes its home at the Schuster Performing Arts Center in downtown Dayton where it annually produces three operas and an operatic concert and has an annual budget of appro ...
References
External links
Dayton Ballet Company Collection, Special Collections and Archives, Wright State University, Dayton, OH
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Ballet companies in the United States
Ballet schools in the United States
Dance schools in the United States
Culture of Dayton, Ohio
Companies based in Dayton, Ohio
1937 establishments in Ohio
Tourist attractions in Dayton, Ohio
Performing groups established in 1937
Dance in Ohio