County Needs Own Ballet Company

More than three years have passed since the Orange County Performing Arts Center opened its doors. Since then, close to 2 million people have attended events there. Built by and for the residents of Orange County, the Performing Arts Center now offers us some the world’s finest entertainment in our own back yard.

Opera, musical theater, classical music and ballet have all been showcased, with the Center being acknowledged as the leading presenter of dance on the West Coast. By presenter, I mean that the Center does not have a resident dance company but, instead, imports leading dance companies from around the world. The Center has presented some of the world’s greatest performing companies: New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Kirov Ballet, American Ballet Theater and the Joffrey Ballet, to name a few.

With the community interest in ballet, why then doesn’t Orange County have its own professional ballet company?

In Southern California, we do not have any full-time professional dance companies. Unlike other local performing arts groups who work with a base of professionals that rehearse after work and on weekends, ballet is not an art form that can take on a part-time commitment and produce professional results. Ballet requires hours of daily rehearsal and full-time dedication.

There are a few regional companies that employ dancers for short seasons and others that work throughout the year on weekends, but the caliber of these dancers cannot compare with the professionals that are engaged to perform at the Center.

Professionalism is what the ballet patron wants. First-class dance in a first-class atmosphere. But with that comes a first-class price. Dance productions are one of the more expensive performing art forms, second only to opera.

How long will Orange County balletomanes continue to subsidize the short-run enjoyment received from importing guest companies before a long-term commitment is made toward developing a local professional ballet company?

A plethora of talent has left Southern California to dance with professional ballet companies around the world. When the American Ballet Theater closes this year’s dance series, we will be entertained by many dancers who were raised and trained here.

Why should we continue to export talent for other cities to employ as part of their cultural heritage and then pay premium prices to import these companies back to our community?

With one of the finest theater facilities in the country, Orange County will remain an import-beleaguered community until we establish our own local professional company. San Francisco houses the oldest professional ballet company in America. The Joffrey Ballet now shares a residence between New York and its West Coast home at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles.

Having our own company would establish an identity for the county that is commensurate with our ballet interest and aid in the national and international accreditation of the culturally rich community in which we live.

The citizens of Orange County are expert fund-raisers. The Center was built at a cost of $72.8 million, with all funds for construction and ongoing endowment being contributed by the private sector. No financial assistance came from the county, state or federal government. This phenomenal accomplishment is proof that we can unite for a community cause.

Art is valued as an identity card and passport to the future. In most countries, cultural nationalism provides a stronger unity than political ideologies. It is time that we look at our superficial commitment to dance and unite in a mission to organize a resident professional ballet company that will be capable of expressing the unique spirit inherent in Orange County.