lisbit

Thanks for the amazing video! I studied at WSB in the early 90s and remember the Goh ballets. I think this is a very exciting move for Washington Ballet. The company was never intended to be a mini ABT (as Kent was trying to create), but a chamber company doing new and different, yet still classically based, work. Day knew that ABT and the big international companies already owned the KC story ballet market. She was wise to pick another direction. On a side note, after the demise of the National Ballet, the KC should have made the Washington Ballet their home company and given them a space. This is why DC will never be a big ballet city like NY, SF or Seattle despite having the means. It could have grown into a much bigger organization considering DC’s population, wealth and education level.

Washington Ballet plays second fiddle to all the large national and international companies coming through the Kennedy Center. Anyone with connections to Mary Day is either established somewhere else or too old. DC is not really an arts town. Yes, there are all the museums, KC, etc but it is a not a place where young people are coming to create. DC has a high cost of living compared to the locations of other small companies. Just a start….

No more Natasha Sheehan.

Per Hannah Bettes Instagram she is back to professional dance at Ballet Arizona! Lovely dancer, great to see she will be performing again https://www.instagram.com/p/Cod1iC6Meb8/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Also, looks like a new dancer is joining, former Boston Ballet’s Hannah (Bettes) Christian: via her personal Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/Cod1iC6Meb8/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

I never knew her as a dancer, but as a teacher at Washington Ballet. Lupe was a great, energetic teacher and lovely woman. I hope her family knows many former students have great memories of her.

I think the “cultural Renaissance” of Washington has peaked. When the Obamas came to the city they brought a renewed energy. DC seemed almost hip. The Obamas went out and supported the restaurants and entertainment. This administration only dines at the Trump Hotel. A new administration changes the dynamic of the city, and this one does not support the arts.

Kent doing Tudor is not new to WB. They used to perform “Leaves are Fading” back in the 90s.

Finally able to read the article! Kent and the board seem to have totally lost sight of Mary Day’s vision. Day always encouraged new choreography and an uncluttered aesthetic. Do Kent and the board remember the demise of the National Ballet? Washington has never been able to support the type of company Kent envisions. I would love to know what has changed to make this feasible. The school no longer produces dancers for the company. The last company dancers from the Mary Day era are not teaching at Washington Ballet, but across the state line at Maryland Youth Ballet. The long time teacher who rehearsed every single student role in the Nutcracker is gone and has her own studio in Olney, MD. Kents is already overpaid and lives in a rent free home in an area where homes hover at the $2 million mark. Kent may have been a great dancer, but this article paints her as clueless. Mary Day was never a professional dancer and basically created ballet in Washington. Kent will kill it.

Is there a way for someone to paste the Washington Post article here? I have already read my 10 articles on the site this month and am blocked.