Ballet Memphis
{{Multiple issues|{{COI|date=December 2024}}}}
{{Infobox ballet company
| name = Ballet Memphis
| logo = Ballet_Memphis_logo.jpg
| previous_names = Memphis Concert Ballet
| predecessor =
| founded = {{start date and age|1986}}
| founding_director =
| founding_choreographers =
| venue = Orpheum Theatre
| website = {{URL|balletmemphis.org}}
| chief_executive = Gretchen Wollert McLennon
| director =
| assistant_director =
| coordinator =
| company_manager =Courtney Sage
| ballet_staff_type =
| ballet_staff_name =
| artistic_director = Steven McMahon
| music_director =
| principal_conductor =
| choreographers =
| parent_company =
| sister_company =
| orchestra = [https://memphissymphony.org Memphis Symphony Orchestra]
| official_school = Ballet Memphis School, Youth Ballet Memphis
|founder=Dorothy Gunther Pugh|ballet_mistress=Julie Marie Niekrasz|administrator=Carol Miraglia|ballet_master=Ben Delony}}
Ballet Memphis is an American ballet company based in Memphis, Tennessee. It was founded as Memphis Concert Ballet in 1986 by Dorothy Gunther Pugh. Ballet Memphis regularly performs at their Midtown home, at Playhouse on the Square, Crosstown Theater and the Orpheum Theatre.
Ballet Memphis presents classical and mixed-repertory contemporary choreography.
History
Ballet Memphis was founded in 1975 as Memphis Youth Concert Ballet. In 1986, it was renamed Memphis Concert Ballet when it was refocused as a professional troupe under Dorothy Gunther Pugh.{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Whitney |date=February 6, 1987 |title=Ballet company outgrows its name |pages=B3 |work=The Commercial Appeal |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2657477470 |access-date=December 13, 2023|id={{ProQuest|2657477470}} }} In July 1996, the company was renamed Ballet Memphis.{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Whitney |date=June 11, 1996 |title=Memphis Concert Ballet becoming Ballet Memphis |pages=B5 |work=The Commercial Appeal |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2657974391 |access-date=December 13, 2023|id={{ProQuest|2657974391}} }}
File:Ballet Memphis Trinity Rd Memphis TN 2010-09-18 01.jpg
In August 1997, Ballet Memphis began constructing a new location on Trinity Rd in Cordova. The building was designed with metal and glass to give it an industrial feel and included a marquee-like sign and five sculptures of dancers to maximize its visibility from the road.{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Whitney |date=July 30, 1997 |title=Ballet facility 'to have a presence' |pages=A12 |work=The Commercial Appeal |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/2657663418 |access-date=December 13, 2023|id={{ProQuest|2657663418}} }}
The current Ballet Memphis building is located on Madison Ave in Midtown and opened to the public in August 2017. It was designed by archimania and features a five-story rehearsal studio used for performances.{{cite web |last1=Ferello |first1=Jamie |date=10 August 2018 |title=The Ballet Memphis building shines behind a corrugated copper curtain |url=https://archpaper.com/2018/08/ballet-memphis-building-archimania/#gallery-0-slide-0 |access-date=9 February 2020 |website=archpaper.com |publisher=The Architect's Newspaper}} That same month, Ballet Memphis sold its Trinity Rd building to Tennessee Shakespeare Company.{{Cite news |last=Dries |first=Bill |date=September 1, 2017 |title=Tennessee Shakespeare Company Buys Ballet Memphis' Cordova Facility |work=Memphis Daily News |url=https://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2017/sep/1/tn-shakespeare-co-buys-ballet-memphis-cordova-facility/ |access-date=December 14, 2023}}
In 2019, Pugh began to retire from leading Ballet Memphis, selecting Steven McMahon to succeed her as artistic director. In July 2020, Gretchen Wollert McLennon was selected by the company's board of directors as the new president and CEO.{{Cite web |date=January 7, 2020 |title=Dorothy Gunther Pugh, CEO and Founding Artistic Director of Ballet Memphis, announces retirement |url=https://www.localmemphis.com/article/money/business/local-business/dorothy-gunther-pugh-ceo-and-founding-artistic-director-of-ballet-memphis-announces-retirement/522-c46dc4e3-8d93-4945-94b7-1a4f86d35837 |access-date=December 13, 2023 |website=ABC24 |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Sparks |first=Jon |date=July 6, 2020 |title=Gretchen Wollert McLennon to lead Ballet Memphis |work=Memphis Flyer |url=https://www.memphisflyer.com/gretchen-wollert-mclennon-to-lead-ballet-memphis |access-date=December 15, 2023}}
Dancers
Dancers (as of 2024-2025 season){{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=The Company |url=https://balletmemphis.org/dancers |access-date=2025-04-29 |website=Ballet Memphis |language=en}} are:
- Iori Araya
- Kennedy Ballard
- Angelina Broad
- Anwen Brown
- Cayce Cavett
- Matthew Cunningham
- Nicolas Gongora
- Cecily Khuner
- Noah Long
- Phoebe Magna
- Beth Ann Maslinoff
- Darcy McLoughlin
- Wyatt Pendelton
- Demetrious Reed
- Emilia Sandoval
- Rianna Talento
- Gretchen Vander Bloomer
- Harry Warshaw
- Rosamond Mullinax (Trainee)
Repertoire
The company performs its normal October–April season at its Midtown building, the Orpheum Theater, and Playhouse on the Square.{{Cite web |last=Perry |first=Elle |date=September 29, 2024 |title='Dracula' begins season of duality for Ballet Memphis |url=https://dailymemphian.com/article/46741/ballet-memphis-38th-season-dracula-nutcracker |access-date=2025-06-15 |website=Daily Memphian |language=en}} Its repertoire includes classical and contemporary choreography including retellings of stories such as Dracula and The Wizard of Oz.{{Cite news |last=Sparks |first=Jon W. |date=April 7, 2017 |title=Ballet Memphis dances down yellow brick road |url=https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/april-7-2017-page-8/docview/2623053124/se-2 |work=The Commercial Appeal |pages=8, 15}} Ballet Memphis has performed The Nutcracker every year since 1987. In December 2020, Ballet Memphis released an abbreviated version of The Nutcracker on WKNO and their website, with the first act recorded at the Mallory–Neely House.{{Cite web |last=Burch |first=Peggy |date=December 10, 2020 |title=Coming to a screen near you: ‘The Nutcracker’ ballet |url=https://dailymemphian.com/section/arts-cultureperforming-arts/article/18532/the-nutcracker |access-date=2025-04-30 |website=Daily Memphian |language=en}}
Ballet Memphis School
The Ballet Memphis School offers ballet lessons for ages 3 through adult. It is led by Brandon and Virginia Ramey.
Youth Ballet Memphis is the highest level of the school, with students practicing and performing alongside members of the professional company.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= 25 August 2017|title=Youth Ballet Memphis |url=https://balletmemphis.org/youth-ballet-memphis |access-date=2023-12-17 |website=Ballet Memphis |language=en}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://balletmemphis.org Ballet Memphis website]
{{Ballet companies}}
{{Dance Companies in the United States}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Ballet companies in the United States
Category:Organizations based in Memphis, Tennessee
Category:Non-profit organizations based in Tennessee