THE SARASOTA BALLET

THIS YEAR, THE SARASOTA BALLET CELEBRATES OUR 30TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON of infusing our community with the highest quality and diversity of dance in America. Since Director Iain Webb’s appointment as Director in 2007, the Company has received national and international acclaim, as well as invitations to perform in some of the Country’s most prestigious dance venues. Additionally, The Sarasota Ballet School provides professional instruction for students of all ages, and The Margaret Barbieri Conservatory prepares pre-professional level students for a performing career in classical ballet. We invite you to join us this Season as we mark thirty years of enriching lives, captivating emotions, and strengthening our community through the art of dance.

Sharing the artistry of ballet with the Sarasota community has been integral to The Sarasota Ballet since our very beginning. Many of you may already be familiar with our professional Company through our performances of ballets by some of the greatest choreographers of the 20th century, and some may also know our Education Programs through classes with The Sarasota Ballet School, or a student’s enrollment in The Margaret Barbieri Conservatory. A shining gem of ours, however, that often goes overlooked and in which we take great pride is our student outreach program, Dance – The Next Generation.

In 1991, Dance – The Next Generation (DNG) was founded by Jean Weidner Goldstein and was designed as a dance program to directly impact underserved children in the local community. Each year DNG averages an enrollment of around 165 students, from third to twelfth grade, regardless of background, ability, or financial status. The Sarasota Ballet provides tuition-free dance education and enrichment to children in Title 1 schools who are considered at risk of dropping out. In addition to dance instruction, students are transported in DNG vans from their schools to our dedicated facilities where they receive healthy snacks through a partnership with All Faiths Food Bank. They also receive dance clothes and shoes, and participate in an hour of mentor-supervised homework in classrooms and state-of-the-art computer labs. But DNG is more than a dance program. The goal was and remains to nurture the development of the entire individual with emphasis on discipline, self-esteem, and the desire for higher education.

5555 NORTH TAMIAMI TRAIL, SARASOTA, FL 34243 941.359.0099 | SARASOTABALLET.ORG

Top photo by Matthew Holler | Below photo by Fred Doery

IN THE SPIRIT OF GIVING CREATIVE MARKETING SECTION :: SRQ MAGAZINE DEC 2020