Ballet British Columbia

salzberg · **Posted:** Sat Dec 20, 2008 7:13 am

More on Ballet BC's banking problems:

Quote:

Although Scotiabank says it was within its rights to freeze a Ballet British Columbia bank account and use its funds to pay off a credit-card debt, an expert in insolvency law suggests such actions could be in violation of the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act.

http://www.straight.com/article-176254/ ... oes-ballet

LMCtech · **Posted:** Mon Dec 22, 2008 11:41 am

Sheesh, what a mess.

salzberg · **Posted:** Mon Dec 22, 2008 11:48 am

Many years ago, a community theatre asked me to light a show for them. I won't give any details, in case someone involved should happen to read this, but let's just say that for any number of reasons, it had "train wreck" written all over it. I resisted for weeks, but finally agreed to do it.

Two weeks later, I got email from Ballet BC, asking me if I was available to light a new production of Orpheus, to premiere at Banff, on the same weekend.

Arggghh.

salzberg · **Posted:** Wed Dec 24, 2008 4:32 am

Quote:

Ballet British Columbia has sold enough tickets to The Nutcracker to keep its head above water--but now it says it needs $200,000 more to survive into the new year

...And this:

Quote:

But Ballet B.C. has announced it needs an additional $200,000 in pledged donations in order to bring its artistic director, John Alleyne, and his dancers back into the studio.

From Straight.com

Francis Timlin · **Posted:** Tue Dec 30, 2008 3:16 pm

Ballet BC has cancelled an April 2009 tour to five cities (Ottawa, Edmonton, Calgary, Saskatoon, Thunder Bay) over three weeks. Item in the Lake Superior News:

Lake Superior News

Francis Timlin · **Posted:** Tue Dec 30, 2008 4:17 pm

See also the review of the Moscow Classical Ballet's Nutcracker at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver, BC:

Moscow Classical Ballet Nutcracker

Michael Goldbarth · **Posted:** Wed Dec 31, 2008 10:37 am

The Globe & Mail details debts for 400k by Ballet BC to various creditors. Again, can we afford to present ballet provincially when we have a federal ballet company (NBoC)?

Michael Goldbarth · **Posted:** Sun Jan 11, 2009 8:10 am

Good news: Ballet BC lives to dance another day! Well, at least for the next 6 months.

salzberg · **Posted:** Sun Jan 11, 2009 8:23 am

From the article to which Michael linked above:

Quote:

Company dancers signed six-month contracts earlier Friday. Barrit said he expected to sign artistic director John Alleyne to a similar six-month contract later in the day.

This is encouraging, indeed.

LMCtech · **Posted:** Mon Jan 12, 2009 11:55 am

It's probably wise for them to offer 6 month contracts. Glad they've worked things out for a while.

Francis Timlin · **Posted:** Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:55 pm

Fiona Morrow reports in The Globe and Mail:

The Globe and Mail

LMCtech · **Posted:** Wed Jan 14, 2009 11:19 am

Thank for posting, Francis. It sounds like they've worked out a suitable arrangement. I hope they can turn themselves and their fundraising around in time to extend the contracts beyond 6 months.

Francis Timlin · **Posted:** Thu Jan 15, 2009 2:31 pm

Update as of January 15 by Jessica Werb in the Georgia Straight:

Georgia Straight

LMCtech · **Posted:** Fri Jan 16, 2009 12:42 pm

So the Executive Director wasn't hired back. Do you suppose that's as a cost saving matter or because she helped get them into this mess.

Tom Skelton · **Posted:** Fri Jan 16, 2009 2:18 pm

It's hard to say. We don't really have enough information.

Boards tend to be made up of business people, so it may well be that they felt they could run the business end of the company.

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