The evolution of Texas Ballet Theater has had many significant milestones.
Led by founding director Margo Dean, the Company first incorporated as a non-profit
organization in 1961 as Fort Worth Ballet. Over the years, the Company has presented
a broad range of dance experience to its home community and around the state.
During its history of more than four decades, the Ballet has enjoyed continued
artistic growth, first as a civic company, then as a civic regional ballet, and
finally as a professional producing entity.
In 1984, when Fort Worth Ballet was still a civic company, the supporters
of the organization made a strategic decision to propel it into full professional
status. The Ballet’s leadership molded its artistic programming and aesthetic
in the vision of George Balanchine, famed choreographer and ballet master of
New York City Ballet. In 1985 Nanette Glushak and Michel Rahn were named co-artistic directors in the Company's first professional year. In 1987, Paul Mejia – A Balanchine protégé – took
the reigns as artistic director and began to add his own ballets to the Company’s
repertoire in addition to the works of Mr. Balanchine.
During the 1990’s, Fort Worth Ballet became well known nationally for
its accurate and remarkable productions of the Balanchine repertoire. The Company
was seen in nearly thirty Texas cities, taking professional ballet across the
state as The National Ballet of Texas.
FWB also toured nationally and internationally, taking its production of
Cinderella to Chicago, New York, Japan and Taiwan under the aegis of a for-profit
tour producer. In the summer of 1991, the Company made its Kennedy Center debut
as part of The Texas Festival. It was also during this time period that a partnership
was forged with members of the Dallas community, launching a Dallas season by
1994. In May 1998, Benjamin Houk took the reigns as artistic director. Houk expanded the repertoire with
full-length ballets, 20th-century masterpieces and contemporary works. Since
1998, the Company has added a staggering thirty-five works to its repertoire.
After Ben Houk’s departure as artistic director in 2001, the Company engaged
an interim artistic team for the 2001-02 season: Bruce Marks, serving as artistic
advisor, and Bruce Simpson, ballet master in chief. In April of 2002, Ben Stevenson,
O.B.E., agreed to step into the role of artistic advisor. Stevenson had just
announced his retirement after 27 years from Houston Ballet. By June 2003, Stevenson
agreed to serve as full-time artistic director of the Company beginning in July
2003.
In May 2005, Texas Ballet Theater announced the expansion of its leadership to include two chairmen, Jeanne Marie Clossey and Kathleen B. Stevens, in order to more effectively serve the entire North Texas community. John Toohey joined Texas Ballet Theater as Managing Director in January 2006.
In June 2006, Texas Ballet Theater acquired a highly-regarded ballet school in Richardson, formerly Dallas Dance Academy, which will serve as the Dallas-area campus of Texas Ballet Theater School, the official training arm of Texas Ballet Theater. It currently has 320 students enrolled and all existing classes and staff will remain at the school. Ben Stevenson considers it “one of the finest ballet schools in North Texas.”
In June 2006, Artistic Director Ben Stevenson renewed his contract for an additional five years, announcing his intention to serve at the helm of Texas Ballet Theater through the 2010-2011 season.
Texas Ballet Theater, has served the Dallas audience since 1988. After the
dissolution of Dallas Ballet in 1988, Fort Worth Ballet expanded its season into
Dallas via a business partnership with The Dallas Opera. In December 1988, the
Ballet first presented The Nutcracker in the Music Hall at Fair Park - Dallas
Music in Dallas. Thus began the Company’s unique and now sixteen-year history
of performing in Dallas. A steering committee comprised of representatives from
both Fort Worth and Dallas began exploring ways to bring professional ballet
back to Dallas. It was with this group that representatives of Fort Worth Ballet
began earnest discussions in 1992
Over a year-long period, these ballet supporters outlined a plan to bring
Fort Worth Ballet to Dallas. This six-year plan, called the joint venture agreement,
included changing the name of the company to Fort Worth Dallas Ballet and creating
a separate 501(c)3 corporation in Dallas with a separate board of directors – The
Dallas Supporters of Fort Worth Dallas Ballet – dedicated to raising the
funds needed to present a full Dallas season. Fort Worth Dallas Ballet produced
its first full Dallas season – four productions – in 1994-95.
In early 2002, the Fort Worth and Dallas organizations began to move in earnest
toward becoming a single entity with one governing board of directors. Leadership
from both organizations, working with the consultation of Booz-Allen-Hamilton,
began to construct a plan to merge the two corporations. In April of 2003, the
Fort Worth Dallas Ballet Association voted to merge with the Dallas Supporters,
and in early May 2003, the Dallas Supporters confirmed that merger. The result
has been the creation of Texas Ballet Theater, a single entity serving not only
all of North Texas, but the entire state.
Now, as the second largest professional dance company in Texas, Texas Ballet
Theater performs for well over 100,000 people each year. This season, the Ballet
will employ thirty-nine professional dancers and produce fifty-two performances in Fort
Worth and Dallas. Since 1988, the Ballet’s budget has grown from $1.4 million
to over $6 million.
Photo Credit
Artist: Julie Gumbinner. Photo: Ellen Appel.