Colorado Ballet

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Impact Statement

Colorado Ballet can list an impressive number of achievements for the 2008-2009 season.

Professional Company
The Company opened the season with three sold-out performances at the Newman Center. There is no doubt that the production of Swan Lake was an artistic triumph; over 14,000 individuals saw a performance and their reaction and that of our local critics was uniformly positive.

Performances of The Nutcracker reached 25% more audiences over the previous year and sales approached $2.0 million for the first time. Attendance at A Midsummer Night’s Dream increased 42% over the previous season.

Overall paid attendance was up over 18% and ticket income was up 14% -- astounding growth in the worst economic recession in decades.

Substantial growth also occurred at the Academy. Attendance increased, especially with the opening of the new South Academy location in Arapahoe County. Revenue was up 8% over FY08.

A major milestone was reached in December 2008, when the education department reached its 500,000 contact over the past decade – 62,505 over the past year alone.

In February 2007, Colorado Ballet’s Board of Trustees unanimously adopted a strategic five-year plan that articulates three overriding goals for the Company: 1) attract and retain the highest quality dancers and choreographers; 2) be financially sound and capable of growth; and 3) grow the audience. The plan is reviewed annually by the board and staff to evaluate whether these goals are being met and if any initiatives need to be revisited. The objectives for the 2009-2010 season include: 1) present five productions of classical and contemporary ballet that will engage audiences and challenge the dancers; 2) commission a new work to enhance Colorado Ballet’s repertory and help build the future of the art form; 3) enhance the Company’s current educational programming to reach even more underserved in the community; and 4) continue to build attendance at the dance academy at both locations through an enhanced dance curriculum.

Needs Statement

Colorado Ballet has a budget of just more than $7 million that must be earned through ticket revenue and significant fundraising. What many people don’t know is that Ticket sales cover only half of Colorado Ballet’s costs. The remaining income comes from generous contributions. Every donation is truly significant. As Colorado Ballet continues to strive to be the best ballet company between the coasts, the need for consistent support is imperative.

Background Statement

Colorado Ballet was founded in 1961 by Lillian Covillo and the late Freidan Parker to showcase the talented students they had been teaching at their ballet school. The Company obtained full professional status in 1978 and, after a three-year alliance with Tampa Ballet in the late 1980’s, reestablished itself as a resident company in Denver in 1990. Today, Colorado Ballet is recognized nationally as one of the top regional ballet companies in the U.S. The Company has three major programmatic areas: 1) the professional Company which each season performs five productions at either the Newman Center for the Performing Arts or the Ellie Caulkins Opera House; 2) educational programming for children and adults that is targeted for underserved communities in and around Metro Denver; and 3) the Academy of Colorado Ballet that currently serves nearly 500 children and adults at two locations, one in downtown Denver and another in Arapahoe County. With an annual budget of $7.3 million, the Company employs more than 150 people on either a full-time or part-time basis during the year. In the fall of 2008, the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts estimated that Colorado Ballet alone is responsible for a $30 million economic impact on downtown Denver.

Executive Director Statement

Statement from the Artistic Director:

I want to take this opportunity to give you some background information on Colorado Ballet, a 49-year old cultural institution here in Denver. The contributions of Colorado Ballet cannot be discussed without first mentioning the tremendous dedication of the company’s two founders: Lillian Covillo and the late Freidann Parker. Their dream of creating a professional ballet company in Colorado was opposed by many, who thought dance could never draw significant audiences in this part of the country. Today, Colorado Ballet is recognized as a major regional dance company in the U.S., with an operating budget of just over $7 million dollars. The company is the single largest presenter of dance in the Rocky Mountain region and employs more than 120 people on either a full-time or part-time basis during the year. Last season, Colorado Ballet served more than 110,000 people through performances and educational programming. The Colorado Business Committee for the Arts estimates that Colorado Ballet alone is responsible for a $30 million economic impact on downtown Denver.

Colorado Ballet has received positive critical notice from such notables as Clive Barnes of the New York Post and Anna Kisselgoff of The New York Times and the company continues to receive some of the best reviews in its 49-year history. Colorado Ballet has a long-standing reputation for commissioning new works from rising young choreographers and incorporating these new works into the company’s repertoire. Some of these artists include: Christopher Wheeldon, James Wallace, Doug Varone, Rennie Harris, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Dwight Rhoden, and Jessica Lang, among others. Colorado Ballet considers it essential to provide these artists with opportunities to explore their individual talents and create dance works that enrich the dance field as a whole.

I hope you will consider joining us for our upcoming productions. In February, Beauty and the Beast will grace the Ellie stage. You will marvel at how this classic tale of Belle and the Beast come to life in the form of dance, a performance sure to bring delight to the whole family. In March we will present, 3motions, an evening of some of the best dance you will ever see. Brian Reeder, a New York-based choreographer with a wonderful sense of humor, will create a world premiere fro Colorado Ballet that is guaranteed to delight. Next will be Echoing of Trumpets choreographed by Antony Tudor. Mr. Tudor, a master choreographer of the 20th Century, based this ballet on a war ravaged town in Czechoslovakia during World War II. This work makes powerful statement that will deeply stir your emotions. Closing our program is Lila York’s Celts, a ballet described as “the River Dance of Ballet” and performed to traditional Irish music. The only way I can think to characterize this work is that it is sheer fun!

I would also like to mention that ticket sales from our performances cover only half of our yearly costs. We depend on contributions from the community to support what we provide to the city of Denver. If at all possible, we ask you to consider a gift to Colorado Ballet so we can continue to provide this community with outstanding dance.

Thank you,
Gil Boggs
Artistic Director

Board Chair/President Statement

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I want to thank you for considering a gift to support Colorado Ballet, a remarkable institution in Denver. I take great pride in what Colorado Ballet provides to the community, and I hope you do too. I would like to take a moment to share some of our recent accomplishments with you.

I am pleased to report that Colorado Ballet’s artistic product continues to amaze audiences and critics by the extraordinary professionalism and excellence of its productions. Last season’s Swan Lake took Denver by storm. Over the past three seasons, Artistic Director Gil Boggs has brought 20 new productions into the Company’s repertory, including six world premieres. These works represent both the master choreographers in the dance field as well as new contemporary voices. I am also pleased to share that in June 2009, Artistic Director Gil Boggs signed a five year contract extension, extending his tenure through the 2013-2014 season.

You may not be aware that Colorado Ballet also has an extensive Education and Outreach program, to provide a dance experience to schoolchildren through a variety of programming. We provide after school dance lessons to high needs students right at their school, we travel to schools with an introduction to dance program, and we invite schools to bring students to our student matinees, to watch a live performance. The Education Department of Colorado Ballet, which administers our many education programs, celebrated its 10th anniversary during the 2008-2009 season. In that decade, more than 600,000 contacts were made with underserved citizens in the metropolitan area. Last season alone, more than 62,500 contacts were made with children and adults in 11 Colorado counties, a 35% increase from the previous season. Education programs were delivered to 362 schools and community organizations. Of the public schools served by Colorado Ballet, the average Title I (low income) population was 58 percent. I am pleased to report that the National Endowment for the Arts awarded Colorado Ballet a $50,000 grant, made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), to help support the salaries of the Company’s education department. Colorado Ballet was one of only 15 ballet companies nationwide to receive funding.

The Academy of Colorado Ballet has seen enormous growth at both its locations. Students in the Academy’s professional division were accepted at the top summer dance intensives around the country, including those at American Ballet Theatre in New York, Washington Ballet and Boston Ballet. The two competition troupes (Rhapsody Dancers and Aspirations) have garnered numerous awards, including “Top Production” at the National Dance Competition last spring.


I believe that Colorado Ballet is a tremendous asset to Denver. A great city does more than provide economic opportunities for its citizens. A great city enriches the lives of its citizens with opportunities to experience great works of art. As you know, the current economic climate has made it even more imperative that we continue to value and support the arts during difficult times. Please consider making a gift in support of this remarkable organization, and don’t forget that Colorado Ballet can offer you a 25% state tax credit. Your generosity will support Colorado Ballet and reduce your taxes.

Sincerely,

Denise Sanderson
Board Chair

The Denver Post hailed a recent evening of contemporary ballets performed by Colorado Ballet as a “sharply performed program that any series in New York City would be eager to present.”

FREE TICKET RECIPIENT
“Thank you for the tickets to the ballet “Sleeping Beauty.” The costumes, staging and production were stunning. The theatre was a joy to behold. It was a delightful evening.” -Mary Louise Smith, patron

TESTIMONIAL FROM STUDENT MATINEE SERIES
“You taught me to like ballet without any words…Now I absolutely love ballet. It looked like you were soaring through the air with no problems at all. Your biggest fan, Lee (a student at College View Elementary School).