As Charlottesville Ballet prepares its debut at The Paramount Theater this Saturday, May 5 in “A Decade of Dance,” here’s a quick look at the company’s last 10 years and how we made it to our special 10th Anniversary!
- August 2007 – Sara and Ariadne create a summer company called “Ma’at Ensemble” with a performance at the Ix Building in Charlottesville; Emily, Sara, and five dancers rehearse for the summer show and plant the seeds for a new ballet company
- June 2008 – Charlottesville Ballet is officially incorporated with a mission for dancer health and wellness
- August 2008 – CB’s first professional company season begins with donated space from Kelly Silliman in “The Dance Barn” in Greene County, VA; the company has 3 full time and 4 part time dancers
- February 2010 – CB launches its family series productions and tours to Lynchburg and Richmond
- December 2010 – CB launches its first holiday production of The Nutcracker Suite
- July 2011 – CB takes over The Dance Barn lease in Greene county; Charlottesville Ballet Academy (CBA) is created as the official training school of the professional company and begins with 70 students
- September 2012 – Miki Liszt donates her studio space at the McGuffey Art Center to the professional company and CBA holds downtown classes and rehearsals
- January 2013 – CB launches the Chance To Dance (C2D) outreach program in the Greene County public schools with a grant from the Bama Works Fund of the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation (CACF)
- April 2013 – CB moves into its current home on Route 29 & Woodbrook Drive; the facility opens with just the studio theatre; CBA launches an initial session of classes; CB continues to raise money for HVAC and additional studios
- September 2013 – CBA opens for the 2013-14 academic year with 3 studios; enrollment goes from 90 students to 250 students by the end of the first year
- April 2014 – CB creates a new production of Snow White
- August 2014 – C2D expands to Albemarle County public elementary schools (Woodbrook, Greer, and Ivy Creek)
- September 2014 – CBA enrollment grows to 400 students; CB launches its partnership with ACAC Fitness & Wellness and provides free gym memberships for all dancers
- April 2015 – CB creates a new production of The Firebird
- April 2015 – CB wins the CACF Nonprofit Pitch Night as part of the Tom Tom Founders Festival; $10K expands the C2D outreach program into the Charlottesville City public schools
- June 2015 – CB collaborates with The Oratorio Society of Virginia on King David – 16 piece orchestra, 80 singers, and 4 principal artists from the Ballet come together on one stage
- July 2015 – CB launches the Building the Future campaign and raises $60K in 6 months to expand to the current 5-studio facility; CBA enrollment grows to 500 students
- December 2016 – CB launches a brand new production of The Nutcracker with a complete party scene and tours across Central Virginia in Lynchburg and Culpeper
- April 2017 – CB tours The Firebird to Northern Virginia for the first time thanks to a touring assistance grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts
- July 2017 – CB collaborates with Charlottesville Opera on Oklahoma! at the Paramount Theater
- October 2017 – CB launches the first annual Beer & Ballet event with Champion Brewing Company
- March 2018 – CB tours Letter To My Love to Roanoke, VA in a special collaboration with 3 nonprofit partners: The D-Day Memorial Foundation, Taubman Museum of Art, and Southwest Virginia Ballet
- May 2018 – CB celebrates the 10th anniversary season with A Decade of Dance (which includes YOU in the audience); CBA enrollment grows to 615 students; C2D has its first performance alongside the professional company
Celebrate with us at A Decade of Dance
WHEN: Saturday, May 5 at 7:00pm
WHERE: The Paramount Theater | 215 East Main Street in Charlottesville, VA 22902
TICKETS: Available from the Paramount Theater Box Office
Paramount Theater Box Office:
Hours: Mon – Fri, 10am – 2pm
Phone: 434.979.1333