Ballet Pensacola
Ballet Pensacola is a performing arts organization founded as Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre in 1978 by arts educator Gioia Michelotti. A training program was added in 1980. It became one of the anchor tenants of the newly-renovated Pensacola Cultural Center in 1992. Known for a time as Kaleidoscope & Ballet Pensacola, the Board of Directors formally changed its name to Ballet Pensacola in 2006.
| Ballet Pensacola, Inc. | |
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| Established | June 9, 1978[1] |
| Location | Pensacola Cultural Center 400 South Jefferson Street |
| Artistic Director | Richard Steinert |
| Staff | Bobby Ball, Executive Director Christine Duhon, Ballet Mistress Nancy Haller Valerie Hawkins Marsha Suarez, Office Manager Lance Brannon, Production Manager |
| Website | BalletPensacola.com |
The current artistic director is Richard Steinert. Bobby Ball (who was the previous artistic director) became the organization's executive director in 2007.
Contents
School
In addition to the Ballet Pensacola performing company, the organization operates a school from its Pensacola Cultural Center headquarters. Classes are available for dances aged 3 to adult and cover a wide range of classical and modern dance technique. The school averages around 300 students annually.
The school offers a number of scholarships, each named in honor of six formative members of the organization: Karen Olsen, Patsy Hill, Debbie Parrish, Gioia Michelotti, Judy Gomez and Nannette Grimm.
Performances
Ballet Pensacola presents an average of four performances every year. These include an "Arts-in-Education" production, part of an initiative started in 1988 to make live dance accessible to children in the Escambia and Santa Rosa County School Districts.
Since 1989, the organization has performed an annual Christmastime production of The Nutcracker, called Pensacola's Nutcracker, in collaboration with the Pensacola Little Theatre. In recent years the production has included partnerships with the Pensacola Symphony Orchestra and the Choral Society of Pensacola. Due to renovations of the Saenger Theatre, Ballet Pensacola scaled back this production for the 2007-2008 season, calling the abridged ballet the Nutcracker "Sweet" (a play on the word "suite").
Board of Directors, 2007-2008
- Diane DeJean, President
- Gia Tringas, President Elect
- Alan Benton, Vice President - Funding
- Hilda Jones, Vice President - Public Relations
- Lisa York, Vice President - Public Relations
- Susan Finger, Vice President - Special Events
- Jeanine Bourgeois, Secretary
- Warren Jerrems, Treasurer
- Malcolm Ballinger
- Jamie Bristow
- Myra Brown
- Tracey Bryars
- Jeri Connell
- Susan Finger
- Josh Hackel
- Shawna Hogan
- Kurt Jones
- Barbara Lyman
- Cindy Milner
- Starr Moore
- Abby Rinke
- Jill Robinson
- Charlie Roth
- Susan Scarborough
- Gene Valentino
- Elise Williams
Guild
The Ballet Pensacola Guild was established in 2004 to provide support to Ballet Pensacola, coordinating volunteer efforts and managing the group's special events.