Eugene Ballet
{{Short description|Ballet company}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox ballet company|name=Eugene Ballet Company|founded=1978|location=Eugene, Oregon, USA|founders=Riley Grannon, Co-founder
Toni Pimble, Co-founder, first Artistic Director, and Resident Choreographer|artistic_director=Toni Pimble|executive_director=Josh Neckels|website=https://eugeneballet.org/|ballet_staff_name=Sara Lombardi|ballet_staff_type=Ballet Academy Director}}Eugene Ballet is an American ballet company based in Eugene, Oregon. A resident company of the Hult Center for the Performing Arts, it performs a repertoire of full-length classical ballets, contemporary pieces, and operates a ballet academy. For more than 20 years, the National Endowment for the Arts has funded Eugene Ballet performances throughout the Pacific Northwest and nationally.
History
Eugene Ballet opened in Eugene in 1979, performing The Soldier's Tale. In 1982, the company toured and performed in Taiwan. Other highlights of the company's early history include their 1990 performance of Ken Kesey's Little Tricker the Squirrel meets Big Double the Bear, their first performances of Swan Lake in 1992, and Arts America international tour funded by the U.S. Information Agency in 1995.{{Cite web|title=History|url=https://eugeneballet.org/about/history/|access-date=2020-11-15|website=Eugene Ballet|language=en-US}}
The company performed with Pink Martini in 2006 and 2018.{{Cite web|title=Eugene Ballet performs to the music of Pink Martini Wednesday at OSU|url=https://www.gazettetimes.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/theatre/eugene-ballet-performs-to-the-music-of-pink-martini-wednesday-at-osu/article_eab4320c-57c5-5902-8614-6768654486bc.html|access-date=2020-11-15|website=Corvallis Gazette Times|language=en}} Eugene Ballet joined in performance with San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Oregon Ballet Theatre at Schnitzer Concert Hall in Portland, Oregon in 2008. The company has also performed in the Oregon Festival of American Music and the Oregon Bach Festival, as well as with the American Symphonia, Oregon Mozart Players, and the Eugene Opera,
Eugene Ballet's Suzanne Haag is the Resident Choreographer. She was given this role in 2018 after performing with the company for 15 years. {{Cite web |date=2018-10-01 |title=Suzanne Haag |url=https://eugeneballet.org/staff-member/resident-choreographer/ |access-date=2023-03-12 |website=Eugene Ballet |language=en-US}}
Programs
= Repertoire of classical ballets =
Eugene Ballet performed Firebird at the 1982 opening of the Hult Center.{{Cite news|date=1982-09-18|title=Ballet tickets selling fast|pages=31|work=The World|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/63273608/ballet-tickets-selling-fast/|access-date=2020-11-15}}
The company received a $15,000 National Endowment for the Arts grant in 2018, "To support the premiere of Peer Gynt, a multimedia ballet by choreographer Toni Pimble based on Henrik Ibsen's fairy tale play, Peer Gynt."{{Cite web|date=January 31, 2018|title=National Endowment for the Arts, Fiscal Year 2018, First Round|url=https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/FY18_GrantAnnouncement2.7.18_Disciplinev3.pdf}}
Other classical ballets in the company's reperetoire include Swan Lake,{{Cite news|date=2009-03-06|title=An evening on 'Swan Lake'|pages=49|work=Corvallis Gazette-Times|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/63274347/an-evening-on-swan-lake/|access-date=2020-11-15}} The Nutcracker,{{Cite news|date=1982-11-26|title=Christmas-show tickets ready|pages=8|work=Corvallis Gazette-Times|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/63273789/christmas-show-tickets-ready/|access-date=2020-11-15}} and Schéhérazade.{{Cite web|last=West|first=Martha Ullman|date=1970-01-01|title=Eugene Ballet Company - 1999|url=https://www.dancemagazine.com/eugene-ballet-company-1999-2306860733.html|access-date=2020-09-27|website=Dance Magazine|language=en}}
= Eugene Ballet Academy =
The Eugene Ballet Academy begin offering lessons in 1964, "To provide a sound education and inspiring opportunities in dance that nurture, motivate and instill an appreciation of the art of classical ballet and dance repertoire."{{Cite web|title=Academy|url=https://eugeneballet.org/academy/|access-date=2020-11-15|website=Eugene Ballet|language=en-US}} It serves dance students from age three to adult. Eugene Ballet Academy and Eugene Ballet Company have Pre-Professional and Aspirant programs.{{Cite web |title=Aspirants |url=https://eugeneballet.org/about/aspirants/ |access-date=2023-03-12 |website=Eugene Ballet |language=en-US}}
Financials
Revenues in 2018 exceeded USD $2.78 million, and total assets more than $3.630 million.{{Cite web|date=2018|title=Cause IQ profile, Eugene Ballet Company (EBC)|url=https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/eugene-ballet-company,930765746/|access-date=2020-09-25}}
Awards, grants
- Governors Arts Awards for Excellence in the Arts, 1996
- In 2017, the Eugene Weekly reported EBC had received NEA grants for 20 years.{{Cite web|title=Trump Endangers NEA Funds for Local Arts – Eugene Weekly|url=http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2017/02/02/trump-endangers-nea-funds-for-local-arts/|access-date=2020-09-25|language=en-US}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|https://eugeneballet.org/|name=Eugene Ballet official website}}
- {{YouTube|id=TGhQtrhsw08|title=Video, "Eugene Ballet Turns 40"}}, video, 4:25
- {{YouTube|id=aeK1B_jlMYU|title=Eugene Ballet's Peer Gynt with Orchestra Next}}, video, 1:37:57
- {{YouTube|id=-lIS0VmzIxI|title=Eugene Ballet's The Firebird}}, video, 47:00
{{Dance Companies in the United States}}
{{Ballet companies}}
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Category:Ballet companies in the United States
Category:1978 establishments in Oregon
Category:Performing groups established in 1978
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eugene Ballet}}