Friday, April 2, 2010
Performance Arts Indiana Ballet Co.'s final bow
Posted by David Hoppe on Fri, Apr 2, 2010 at 2:50 PM
The Indiana Ballet Company and its offshoot, the Russian Ballet Academy of Indiana have called it quits. The IBC, founded by former Ballet Internationale artist Alyona Yakovleva and her husband, Russ Smith, following the dissolution of BI in 2005, enjoyed some success with audiences here, most notably their productions of "Phantom of the Opera." Their last production was a reprise of "Shakespeare in Love."
But the organization was unable to attract substantial or longterm funding from the community's most influential ballet patrons. "It is with great regret and deep sorrow that due to the determination that our organization is no longer financially viable, the Board of Directors has elected to close the Russian Ballet Academy of Indiana and the Indiana Ballet Company, effective immediately," wrote Board President Denise Holder.
The small but intense (and affluent) constituency of local arts patrons who believe the city cannot be considered a legitimate arts destination without a professional ballet company may now focus their attention on the fledgling Indianapolis City Ballet project, which was greeted with great enthusiasm at a gala performance of guest artists at the Murat last Fall.
Comments (12)
Showing 1-12 of 12
It is a shame to see another arts organization suffer collapse in these tough times, but ballet still thrives in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis School of Ballet under the artistic direction of Victoria Lyras has beautiful studios in downtown Indianapolis with academic year and summer programming. Enrollment is ongoing and another round of Summer Intensive auditions will take place Sunday afternoon April 18. Students and guest artists perform two main stage productions each year. "A Midsummer Night's Dream" will be presented May 22-23 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral Theater. More info at www.indyballet.org.
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Until the fledgling Indianapolis City Ballet actually uses artists from Indianapolis, instead of flying in performers from around the world at great expense, we cannot truly have an Indianapolis City Ballet.
It takes more than money to make a ballet company. It takes a talented choreographer. It takes accountability. It will now take great honesty and integrity for Indianapolis, it will take a vision that more than wealthy arts supporters can believe in. Please show me something original, instead of importing expensive talent grown elsewhere! That's where my money will go!
http://www.ibj.com/lou-harrys-ae/2010/04/0…
It looks like they are going to continue to be able to offer the stellar pre-professional training under a viable and proven business model. Their first attempt was simply due out of necessity to help take care of those left after Ballet Internationale closed. It never had a solid chance of making it. This time it seems as if it's being run by a successful local businessman with Alyona holding the artistic reigns. It sounds great. What a blessing to the young dancers who aspire to be professionals. There is no other training in Indy that compares. One can't expect to have the technique of a pro if only taking lessons a 1-3 or 4 times a week! It's not just quantity either, it's quality...world class quality. I'm excited to see their opening ballet...they've not disappointed when I've seen previous ballets!
Tanya - You want something original? Phantom of the Opera and Shakespeare were both original ballets by Hoosier Yakovleva! You want someone to not important expensive talent grown elsewhere? The aforementioned Indiana Ballet Company (soon to be National Ballet of Indiana) trained and hired Hoosier natives Tuesday Mayhew (principal), Rachel Phipps, Abigail Matthews (trainee), Maryann Schaefer (trainee), and Iowa-transferred/Hoosier-trained Hailey Agran. How about supporting this fabulous company that is training and then hiring Hoosier dancers?! Something to get excited about is here!
Ladies! Is bickering back and forth proving anything? My daughter has been at both ballet studios in Indy and both have their positive and negatives. I just think it is a shame Indianapolis cannot support the arts more than they do. I have had to drive all over this country for years just to find my daughter somewhere to dance, it's a shame.
I think the point I was making is: Where else is there a training ground and hiring ground for Hoosier dancers? Nowhere of which I know! It's time to back this company/school before we're left with only run-of-the-mill dance schools. They are fantastic for the market they serve, but there are tons. There are no other pre-professional dance schools like the Vaganova styled offering at this one. If you ever have the opportunity to go to a professional ballet, not a college production or all-student production, you will see the difference. They are all wonderful in their own ways. We *need* all types of schools. The ISB *is* nice and Balanchine was fantastic and originally based in the Vaganova method. The school's offerings, however, are simply not the same kind of training nor should they have to be. They all serve the arts! We shouldn't have to choose one or the other, but have the option to see both. :)
I appreciate the intensity with which people are responding to this debate about the viability of classical ballet in Indianapolis. The city deserves to have this beautiful art-form available for students and audiences. Time will tell whose business model will succeed.
There is a professional training option besides what RBAI used to offer, and what the re-formed entity may try to offer again. The Indianapolis School of Ballet (ISB) is providing training based on American Classical technique developed by George Balanchine. It is another philosophy of movement that stands next to Vaganova technique in the ballet world, and one that is highly valued by professional companies worldwide. A city the size of Indianapolis should be able to support dancers seeking a variety of training. There clearly is room for all philosophies and training techniques, and the market is bearing this out.
Dancers trained at ISB are experiencing success placing into elite university-level dance programs, landing professional positions, and are dancing beyond their years in distinctively artistic, professional-quality productions. ISB is pointing toward a professional presence, but only in the most fiscally responsible manner and when the time is right.
I'm placing my faith and hard work with the Indianapolis School of Ballet, the vision of Founding Artistic Director Victoria Lyras, the leadership of their Board of Directors, and the devotion of the highly trained, professional faculty. Their productions (an annual Nutcracker and a spring production) are the closest to professional that we have in the city right now. Guest artists (some trained at ISB who are returning for this appearance) and the school's pre-professional students are appearing in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" on May 22-23 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral. More info at www.indyballet.org.
RBAI/IBC produced excellent results, despite lack of funding. Here's hoping that the new National Ballet of Indiana can keep the excellent results in a sustainable manner. I hate to think that I would never again be able to witness From Shakespeare with Love or get to see the new Halloween production being planned to replace Phantom.
And here's hoping that funding will include advertising. IBC in the past was unable to advertise, hoping that word of mouth about the productions would suffice, despite very little in the way of media mentions. This past year they were finally doing well with audiences, but the snowballing problems of having been started on a shoestring out of concern for the stranded students finally caught up with them. Sexauer has the good business experience to make this work.
Ms. Lyras and Ms. Yakovleva have trained beautiful dancers and have provided wonderful training but I must object to the assumption that there is not any other top notch training in the area. There is a very fine pre-professional ballet program in Carmel that is consistently training professional dancers. Dancers from the Central Indiana Academy of Dance (home to the Central Indiana Dance Ensemble) have gone on to professional contracts with PNB, Milwaukee Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre and Nashville Ballet. Students from this academy are regularly accepted to top summer programs including SAB, ABT, Houston Ballet, Washington School of Ballet, Joffrey, Joffrey Midwest, Chataqua, Rock School, Alonzo King Lines and the list goes on. Dancers have been accepted to top college dance programs such as Alvin Ailey/ Fordham University, IU, University of Utah, Butler, Univ. of Cincinnati, SUNY, Point Park and the list goes on. For 10 years CIDE has been consistently growing, annually producing a Nutcracker, a spring ballet, performing at community venues such as Penrod, and achieving honor company status with Regional Dance America. This pre-pro company was built with the vision of Artistic Director Suzann DeLay and countless hours of VOLUNTEER work by those who believed in her vision.
These dancers train 6 days a week in a rigorous program. There is room in central Indiana for more than one excellent pre-pro program. We need more ballet in Indiana and in order to accomplish that we need to stop trying to step all over each other trying to claim the title of "Best school" and work together to promote the art form. It is okay to acknowledge that others are talented and accomplishing great things. It does not take away from your own accomplishments. Indy has become known for being a great sports city. Wouldn't it be great if it could become known as the "go to city" for ballet training?
I've heard some pretty good things about CIDE/CIAD. And boy, do I know about the volunteering! At RBAI, I've helped sew costumes; helped backstage at productions; helped with fundraisers; helped orient new families; even helped clean the studio. And I was not alone. Families helped with set building; obtaining props; tearing down the sets; a studio redesign; and it took a really coordinated effort each year for the shows the students were involved in. Costuming, getting makeup on and shuttling a couple dozen preschoolers and several dozen more kids under age 10 around backstage in a professional production (where the main roles are pros and expect a professional atmosphere) is no easy task, not to mention all the older kids! I'm sure you know what I'm talking about from your own Nutcracker, Ballet Fan.
I agree that the fledgling Indianapolis City Ballet should be utilizing local talent, or at least attempting to set up a local space to hold auditions in the future in order to attract that talent to the area. Bringing in dancers who are currently principals at ABT brings attention, but is a one-time flash in the pan idea.
While it's been established that Indy has several wonderful training options (ISB with the Balanchine connections, JCAD with connections to Butler, one of the strongest university programs in the country), there's still a hole left with regards to the necessity of a professional ballet company in a city of our size.
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