Five years ago, Ballet BC, which operates on a $3.4-million dollar budget, was on the brink of bankruptcy.
Now, just days prior to the launch of its 2013/14 season, it has announced its third consecutive operating surplus: a healthy $150,000 the largest in company history.
Named a company to watch by the prestigious Dance magazine in January, executive director Branislav Henselmann credits the ongoing success to artistic director Emily Molnar, who, after four years of progressive vision, is entering a new, three-year contract with the ballet company.
Having almost lost Molnar to Europe earlier in her career, her ability to blend her innovative repertoire with more traditional performances by visiting companies has established Molnar as a crucial voice in the Canadian dance conversation.
This was only further reinforced by Ballet BCs recent achievements on tour this summer. Performances at preeminent arts festivals such as Jacobs Pillow and the Festival des arts de Saint-Saveur were greeted with sell-out crowds and standing ovations, showcasing the work the company has been creating for the past four years.
By touring, Molnar is not only creating longevity for the work and an opportunity for her dancers to delve deeper into their own artistic development, but she is building Ballet BCs presence and relevancy outside of Vancouver.
To be ambassadors of work that is Canadian, of work that is being created in Vancouver, and be able to take it outside of our city... It just helps to propel what is going on in dance in Canada to a larger public, and whats going on in Vancouver across the country as well, says the former Ballet BC dancer, who toured extensively through North America and Europe during her acclaimed career.
Molnar approaches each new season with the same overarching goal: questioning what dance is, where dance is going, building a larger conversation with Ballet BCs evolving audience and staying in tune with what patrons are hearing about dance, and art in general.
Every year we try to bring in choreographers and collaborators who will have that conversation with us, who are taking dance seriously, who are interested in it being a critical art form and interested in educating new audiences about dance. Were also very proud when bringing people from Canada, because we have an enormous amount of talent in this country that needs to stay also in this country. It doesnt need to leave in order to get opportunity. We really want to be a creative hub for what people are trying to investigate in dance.
Each year she looks towards bringing a repertoire that is not only going to attract new audiences and push her dancers, but attract new talent.
[I want] dancers who are going to want to work and are going to say, I want to come to Vancouver because whats going on in Vancouver is important. I want to come from Sweden and be a part of that, because its exciting. Were trying to build a global bridge between the dance community.
Ballet BC is bringing local communities together, as well, having launched Up a membership program for patrons aged 21-45 which allows exclusive access to a series of intimate experiences, including taking a ballet class with the company.
At one point in its 28-season past, however, Ballet BC was known as an isolationist entity.
I was around before Ballet BC 2.0, as it were, before they hit the reset button, recalls DanceHouse producer Jim Smith. DanceHouse was actually born in the environment of the previous incarnation of Ballet BC, which was very much driven by a sole creator who saw the company as a vehicle for his own artistic expression. There were other works on the companies artistic repertoire, of course, but there were fewer of them. John Alleyne at the time was very focused in on a somewhat story ballet approach, and it was a very stark contrast to what we were trying to do.
DanceHouse, not unlike Ballet BC now, presents works by internationally acclaimed choreographers in Vancouver. Emily has done a remarkable job of bringing Ballet BC back from the brink.
Of the surplus, Smith adds that it is a remarkable feat in these particular times, and definitely in this particular city, on the part of Ballet BC, its board, certainly its executive director Branislav, who is a great addition to Vancouver, and Emily, as well. It takes a village to put on these large artistic enterprises, he says with a knowing laugh.
Beginning with Tilt Oct. 17 to 19, the new season is all about large artistic enterprises.
On the heels of the enormous 2011 success of 1st Flash, Molnar has commissioned an exuberant new piece from Finnish choreographer Jorma Elo.
She is also débuting a new, full-company work of her own. To build the score, she challenged the 18 dancers to examine works by Emily Dickinson, Bill Viola and Jeanette Winterson and collaborate on the idea of displacement.
Lastly, she is bringing back 2012s Walking Mad, set to Ravels Boléro, offering impassioned viewers and veteran dancers the chance to experience Johan Ingers riotous romp anew.
It is a gift to be able to do Walking Mad at all in your career, so to be able to revisit it is really exciting, shares dancer Makaila Wallace, whos engaging in, perhaps, her most bittersweet performance.
Its been a wonderful almost 11 years with Makaila, explains Molnar, fondly. Shes at a transition point in her life where she wants to explore having a family or retraining for something else. Its never a easy time, but shes had a really wonderful career here.
Tilt will be the final opportunity for Vancouver audiences to see Wallace dance with Ballet BC.
For Tickets, click here | Michael Slobodian photos
You can follow arts editor Kelsey Klassen on Twitter @KelseyKlassen.
