Anaheim Ballet

Anaheim Ballet's mission is to enlighten and entertain audiences with classically rooted programming and contemporary presentation. Anaheim Ballet provides quality performances to audiences of balletomanes as well as novice ballet-goers and acts as a haven to talented Southern California artists and as a magnet to international talents.  Anaheim Ballet's Educational Outreach and Scholarship STEP-UP! program is committed to the promotion of classical ballet and providing its numerous benefits to those otherwise not able to receive them.

Anaheim Ballet has three distinct arms to implement and fulfill its mission: A professional performing company, a training school for career-track and recreational training, and an educational outreach program for the underprivileged. 

Activities of the performing company: Performances with the Philharmonic Society of OC and the Orange County Youth Symphony Orchestra at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts; Seasonal concerts including Mixed Repertory, the Nutcracker, Midsummer Night’s Dream, etc.; Fall School Bus-In concerts for the Anaheim City School District; Segerstrom Center for the Arts' Arts Teach assemblies for public schools. 

Activities of the training school: Daily career-track training (alumni are currently dancing at the Oregon Ballet Theater, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Houston Ballet, Austin Ballet, Orlando Ballet, Anaheim Ballet and Disneyland); Daily recreational training; Master classes with teachers from American Ballet Theater, New York City Ballet, Houston Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater and more; Student performances at festivals and special events; Four week summer intensive training program with end of session performance; annual Spring Concert open to the public.

Activities of the community outreach program STEP-UP!: Daily free classes; Participation in the annual Spring Concert and Summer Intensive Program; Participation in Anaheim Ballet productions via audition process; Participation in Master Classes.

Anaheim Ballet was proclaimed the resident ballet company of Anaheim, California in City Council chambers in August 1997. Anaheim Ballet [formerly Coast Ballet Theatre] has been a leading presence in the Southern California arts community for over 30 years. AB annually presents concerts for the community at large in OC, LA, and on tour in Arizona and Nevada. AB collaborates with The Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the Orange County Philharmonic Society, the Segerstrom Center's Arts Teach program, Arts OC's Imagination Celebration, Orange County Pacific Symphony, and Anaheim Public Schools. AB's associated training school offers career track programs, student concerts, community concerts, summer intensive training programs, master classes, and dance related education courses.

The Anaheim Ballet has three components: an outreach program, a dance school and a performing company. All three arms of the organization have had major accomplishments this past year.  The outreach program helped many disadvantaged youth acquire classical ballet skill sets this year, but one success story stands out. Several years ago, outreach student Anabelle Gunderson competed in Youth America Grand Prix, the world's largest youth international ballet competition. From this local competition, she was selected to participate in the New York City finals, and then was invited as guest artist to perform in the Miami International Ballet Festival. Happily, this year Ms. Gunderson was invited to join Oregon Ballet Theater. The Anaheim Ballet School continues to train both career-track and recreational dancers with the finest instruction available. This year, the organization's major goals include increased donor revenues for dancer contracts. Professional dancers are often home-grown, but then aggressively sought after by other professional ballet companies with larger salaries/contracts. Anaheim Ballet employed local stellar talent with two performances at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts' Samueli Theater. One of Anaheim Ballet's goals this year is revenue enhancement to keep these dancers working here in Orange County with the Anaheim Ballet.

The most pressing needs are capacity building and financial support. 1. Anaheim Ballet needs to hire a development director to help with board development and fundraising. $50,000 is the starting point for this position. 2. Fundraising efforts are needed to help secure contracts for Anaheim Ballet dancers. We are looking to increase revenue by $150,000 for modest year round contracts. 3. While we currently hire a stage manager with each production (including concerts, lecture/demonstrations, school bus-in's, etc), the organization needs to contract a qualified person who would also assume the title of company manger for the year round. 4. STEP-UP! provides daily training and performance opportunity for disadvantaged youth all year long. An increase in the outreach budget by $10,000 would afford field trips and summer intensive scholarships for participants.5. Anaheim Ballet would like to reinstate the Anaheim International Dance Festival, keeping Orange County in the cultural international landscape. Additional support of $70,000 is needed to insure the free workshops, free outreach tickets, star-studded Gala performance, Stars of Tomorrow performance and Muzeo exhibit. 

Southern California