| Last updated on September 10, 2007 |
Festival Ballet Providence’s mission is “To thrill and move our audience, dancers, choreographers, students, supporters and staff with art and discipline. We dance to enrich and inspire lives.” Festival Ballet Providence is a professional dance organization of high artistic quality, which enriches the community by expanding dance awareness through education and performance.
Description:
Festival Ballet Providence consists of two business units, a professional performance company and the Center for Dance Education. The professional company includes 19 company dancers and three apprentice dancers. Each season, the company performs three mainstage productions at the VMA Arts & Cultural Center, as well as our holiday favorite, The Nutcracker, at the Providence Performing Arts Center. Additionally, a performance series in the Leach Grand Studio at our Hope Street location, Up Close on Hope, gives our audience the opportunity to meet our dancers and staff, see new works by established and emerging choreographers, and experience dance in an intimate setting. All performances of three distinct programs sell out, and the series is an audience favorite. As the quality of the company has increased under Mr. Djuric's direction, the size of the audience has also increased; this season, over 50,000 people will see Festival Ballet Providence perform.
The Center for Dance Education offers a variety of classes year round for children and adults. Our Creative Movement and Pre-Ballet programs are filled with children ages 3 - 7; the Core Ballet program offers the discipline and rigors of an intensive training program to students ages 8 - 18. Ballet and jazz classes for the "recreational dancer" are also offered for students ages 8 - adult.
History:
Christine Hennessy and Winthrop Corey, former principal dancers with the Canadian Royal Winnipeg Ballet, founded Festival Ballet Providence in 1978. Christine introduced the young company to the variety and talent of the international dance community while working with the local community to advance dance education and appreciation. When Ms. Hennessy passed away in 1997, the Board of Trustees launched an international search for a talented individual to succeed her as Artistic Director. Mihailo Djuric joined the organization in July 1998.
A native of Yugoslavia who had most recently served as artistic director of Ballet New England, Mr. Djuric’s career in Europe and the United States spans that of actor, dancer, choreographer, and costume designer. His vision for Festival Ballet Providence is to develop a strong resident company, increase community collaboration and outreach, and develop the Center for Dance Education. In 1998, the Board of Trustees purchased the Center from the Hennessy family, making it an integral part of this non-profit arts organization.
To advance the company and school even further, the Board of Trustees recognized the need to have new studio space, and purchased a building in Providence in June 2001. Renovations, completed in September 2001, transformed the space into state-of-the-art studios for the dancers and students. Additional office and meeting space have enabled the administrative staff to work more effectively and productively, and the staff has been expanded in order to meet aggressive fundraising and ticket sales goals, support the artistic efforts of the company and school faculty, and develop a comprehensive educational outreach program. At the time of our move to Providence, Festival Ballet was legally renamed Festival Ballet Providence.
Under the artistic direction of Mihailo Djuric, Festival Ballet Providence has soared. The size of the company has expanded from 15 dancers and four unpaid apprentices with a ten week contract in 1998, to 19 dancers with three paid apprentices in 2005, and the number of performances has grown significantly. The growing reputation of the company attracted 150 young dancers from around the world to audition for two open positions in 2005. In December 2004, Company Dancer Leticia Guerrerro was honored for her professional achievements by her countrymen in Venezuela; in July 2005, Company Dancer Andrew Skeels was accepted to compete in the New York International Ballet Competition. Festival Ballet Providence is now earning national and international recognition for its talent, repertory and new works!
Contact people:
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Lisa LaDew, Managing Director, (401) 353-1129, (email)
Ann Marie Gildea, President of Friends of Ballet, (401) 353-1129, (email) |
Office fax number: (401) 353-8853
Address:
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825 Hope Street
Providence, RI 02906-3750
(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.festivalballet.com
Directions:
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Please call for directions |
Miscellaneous Information
| Handicap accessible? |
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Yes
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| Interests Served: |
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Solutions for Children, Youth, Families
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| Does your agency accept court-appointed volunteers? |
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No
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