Ballet Backing

In response to James Jones’ column (April 1) lamenting the lack of a classical ballet company in Orange County, I would ask anyone with similar concerns the following questions:

1. What local ballet company has been performing for Orange County audiences for 25 years?

2. What local ballet company performs 80 times a year with full subscriber series for both adults and children?

3. What local ballet company did 30 lecture-demonstrations for Orange County elementary schools in the last 12 months?

4. What local ballet company has the repertory, scenery, costumes and dancers to offer local audiences full productions of “The Nutcracker,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Copellia,” “Firebird” and other classics?

5. What local ballet company was chosen to represent the western states at the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Miss.?

6. And finally, what Orange County ballet company did the Los Angeles Philharmonic ask to dance the pas de deux from “Romeo and Juliet” and a variation from “West Side Story” at the Beverly Wiltern last month?

The answer to the above questions is, Ballet Pacifica, which is a good example of a local dance company that could use support to hire its dancers full-time rather than have them come to class and rehearse after working an eight-hour day. Like Jones, a lot of us are tired of losing our local talent to ABT, Joffrey, San Francisco, and European dance companies. Let’s just support and build on what we already have--we don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

CHARLES R. JOHNSTON

Newport Beach