Buoyed by the support of the community, and with a sharpened sense of the need for a sustainable model, Ballet Kelowna’s new board of directors has decided to move ahead with the company’s 2013-14 artistic season.
A benefit concert, held in Kelowna Friday, showed the efforts people are willing to make to help Ballet Kelowna overcome the hurdles, said the board’s new president Deborah Ward.
“We realize there is a place in Kelowna – in fact in the Okanagan and in B.C. – for the cultural contribution our company can make. Others clearly see it too, and we must give credit to those who have put heart and soul into Ballet Kelowna over the past decade, from the board to our dancers to our many sponsors, supporters and our staff,” she said. “Without what has been accomplished already, and without the positive expression of community support, there would be no reason for the optimism that fuels our decision to press on.”
While concerns about the financial future led the previous board to a decision to not proceed with the next season, it is the stable financial position that the company was left in that made the new board’s decision possible, recognizing that community support and a new model of operations will be needed.
The company is still working on details for the 2013-14 season and its fundraising campaign.
“We don’t have all the answers, but Friday’s performance, supported by so many in the cultural community in the Okanagan, is a great place to launch the efforts. We hope that residents will pick up on the theme and be moved to be a part of the future of Ballet Kelowna.”
