1 2011–2012 ANNUAL REPORT 3 Cincinnati Ballet dancers DEAR CINCINNATI BALLET LOVERS, Each season, it feels as though the good There are so many other great moments Artistically, when we recall some of the Much of the spring was spent deep in news we have the privilege of sharing to celebrate. We are still haunted by the more uncertain moments of the season conversation and data analysis with just gets bigger and better. In many sounds of Johnny Cash’s voice floating – devastating injuries and last-minute some of our closest friends as we spent ways, the 2011–2012 Season was a dream through the halls of the Ballet Center casting changes – we were overwhelmed countless hours developing our stra- come true. The holidays brought the ar- and readily recall the unexpected emo- with pride by the overall strength and te- tegic plan for the 2012–2016 Seasons. rival of our brand new Frisch’s Presents tional climax of The Man in Black from nacity of our company of dancers. Their While it is ambitious, we are confident The Nutcracker which exceeded even our our Kaplan New Works Series . The ability to step in at a moment’s notice or it is achievable and has the potential to highest expectations. This production season also brought a fresh, new cho - to painfully work their way back to phys- usher in a new era at Cincinnati Ballet. was the culmination of years of hopeful reographic voice in the form of Stacey ical health is no small feat. They support Embracing the tremendous potential in- plans and the tireless effort of so many. Tookey with her imaginative shadow play, each other both onstage and off, and herent in the celebration of our 50th An- While we are immensely proud of what and who can forget the dramatic end when we saw our corps de ballet truly niversary during the 2013–2014 Season, transpired onstage, it’s what happened of Adam Hougland’s Rite of Spring, the breathing as one during Giselle, we knew we are poised for even greater things to offstage that lies at the core of our suc- charm of The Steadfast Tin Soldier or the we had achieved something remarkable. come. Onward! cess. The community that rallied behind theater full of young families eager to The end of the season allowed us to take With gratitude for your faithful support, us and the relationships built with won- partake in our first ever performance of a collective breath as we closed another derful new supporters and community ? Our Otto M. Budig Acad- Ballet Toybox year with a financial surplus and cele- leaders were humbling and invigorating. emy is bursting at the seams, with more brated multiple years of ongoing stabil- We are so blessed! graduates going on to pursue competi- ity. As our staff and number of dancers Victoria Morgan tive higher education dance programs, On the financial front, our box office ex- have grown slightly, we were thrilled to Artistic Director & CEO including one who will be joining the ceeded $2 million in ticket sales for the be able to extend small raises and, for upper ranks of the Royal Ballet School. first time in our history – truly a glorious the first time, develop plans to begin a Our education and outreach programs victory for us! It’s an achievement wor- 401(k) match for our employees – a tes- are reaching further into the community thy of a standing ovation. tament to the administrative health of Missie Santomo than ever before. our organization, for which we are very Managing Director proud. 2011–2012 Dancer Roster . 7 Marketing . 9 Development . 25 Otto M . Budig Academy . .31 Education & Outreach . 35 Finance . 39 Trustees . 45 “Cincinnati Ballet’s The New Nutcracker is, in a word, spectacular. And I mean Donor Honor Roll . 47 that in the literal sense: It’s truly a spectacle.” – Julie Mullins, CityBeat Company Staff . 55 Otto M . Budig Academy students All photography by Peter Mueller unless otherwise noted . PRINCIPAL DANCERS SENIOR SOLOIST SOLOISTS CERVILIO SARAH JANESSA ZACK RODRIGO MIGUEL HAIRSTON TOUCHET GRUBBS ALMARALES AMADOR DANCERS 2011–2012 SOLOISTS CORPS DE BALLET GEMA LIANG DAWN PATRIC DANIELLE JOSHUA DIAZ FU KELLY PALKENS BAUSINGER BODDEN CORPS DE BALLET COURTNEY JAMES JACQUELINE SELAHATTIN COURTNEY STEPHEN CONNOR CUNNINGHAM DAMICO ERKAN HELLEBUYCK JACOBSEN CORPS DE BALLET NEW DANCERS APPRENTICES SIRUI RUSLAN MAIZYALET SAMUEL ABIGAIL CRAIG LIU MUKHAM- VELÁZQUEZ JONES MARUNA HALL BETKALIYEV MORWOOD APPRENTICES CBII GRACE THOMAS ELI JAMES MARIYA HEATHER REEVES CALEB BARNES GILMER OISHI THOMAS ROBERTS TRAINEES DIAMOND SHANNON EMILY MICHAELA BRIANNA SAMANTHA DANIEL DAVID ANCION BIERY FRANCE GOULD HABEL PILLE POWERS DONNELLY MARKETING 9 The Kaplan New Works Series 3 World Premieres, 1 Regional Premiere September 8–18, 2011 Cincinnati Ballet Center Music: John Adams, Johnny Cash, Dianne Dunkelman, Gabriel Gaffney Smith, Rick Sowash Choreography: Heather Britt, Adam Hougland, James Kudelka, Missy Lay Zimmer & Andrew Hubbard, Johanna Bernstein Wilt Spoken Word Artist: JaHipster “Sassy, inventive, quirky and sometimes downright challenging - the Cincinnati Ballet’s Kaplan New Works Series has evolved into one of the area’s most adventurous season-opening enterprises.” – David Lyman, The Cincinnati Enquirer THE KAPLAN NEW WORKS SERIES TOTALS Subscription Sales $41,131.00 Single Ticket Sales $40,483.32 Group Sales $6,767.50 Facility Fee $5,227.50 Total Revenue (including facility fee) $93,609.32 103% to goal Seats Sold 2,157 Average Ticket Price $43.40 Janessa Touchet & Cervilio Miguel Amador MARKETING 11 Giselle October 28–29, 2011 Music Hall Music: Adolphe Adam Choreography: Devon Carney after Marius Petipa “Despite a number of new faces in the group, this corps moves like an ensemble that has spent years together. Crisp and precise, they move with the confidence and familiarity of a single breathing organism.” – David Lyman, The Cincinnati Enquirer GISELLE TOTALS Subscription Sales $87,986.10 Single Ticket Sales $60,793.25 Group Sales $10,583.50 Facility Fee $8,242.50 Total Revenue (including facility fee) $167,605.33 87% to goal Seats Sold 3,391 Average Ticket Price $49.43 Student Matinee Seats 350 Sarah Hairston & Liang Fu MARKETING 13 Frisch’s Presents The New Nutcracker World Premiere December 15–24, 2011 Aronoff Center for the Arts Music: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky Choreography: Victoria Morgan Set Design: John Ezell Costume Design: Carrie Robbins “The new Cincinnati production, the most expensive in the company’s history, includes modern touches like characters dressed as poodles and a kooky grandma with pop- and-lock moves partly inspired by the TV show So You Think You Can Dance.” – Ellen Gamerman, The Wall Street Journal FRISCH’S PRESENTS THE NEW NUTCRACKER TOTALS Subscription Sales $15,627.00 Single Ticket Sales $958,888.02 Group Sales $182,993.00 Facility Fee $54,975.00 Total Revenue (including facility fee) $1,212,483.02 123% to goal Seats Sold 21,420 Average Ticket Price $56.61 Student Matinee Seats 4,000 Cincinnati Ballet dancers & Otto M . Budig Academy students MARKETING 15 Carmen February 10–18, 2012 Aronoff Center for the Arts Music: Georges Bizet Choreography: Amedeo Amodio “The dancers are spot on in the dichotomy of actions they must execute from hard to soft, big to small, fast to slow, and passive to aggressive, the ballet ebbs and flows like a Nadal/Federer five set thriller.” – ispycincy.com CARMEN TOTALS Subscription Sales $90,651.00 Single Ticket Sales $125,932.00 Group Sales $16,014.50 Facility Fee $12,560.00 Total Revenue (including facility fee) $245,157.50 107% to goal Seats Sold 4,990 Average Ticket Price $49.13 Cervilio Miguel Amador & Gema Diaz MARKETING 17 Ballet Toybox February 18, 2012 Aronoff Center for the Arts In 2012, Cincinnati Ballet added a new mini-performance of ballet and storybook classics including performances from CBII, Cincinnati Ballet’s Second Company. This new format proved to be fit for the entire family, perfect for introducing children to ballet with all tickets priced at $30. BALLET TOYBOX TOTALS Subscription Sales $4,389.25 Single Ticket Sales $14,157.50 Group Sales $1,890.00 Facility Fee $2,257.50 Total Revenue (including facility fee) $22,694.25 64% to goal Seats Sold 849 Average Ticket Price $26.73 James Gilmer MARKETING 19 Rite of Spring Featuring: Vivace, World Premiere Oneself Perceived and Cincinnati Premiere Rite of Spring March 16–17, 2012 Aronoff Center for the Arts Music: Olafur Arnalds, Franz Schubert, Igor Stravinsky Choreography: Val Caniparoli, Adam Hougland, Stacey Tookey “Crisp, bright, playful and filled with oodles of finely articulated movement. It’s as if Caniparoli is trying to channel the late George Balanchine. But Caniparoli is too impish to leave it at that. Things aren’t quite what they seem. Phrase after phrase, Caniparoli’s choreography moves in quirky and unexpected ways.” – David Lyman, The Cincinnati Enquirer on Vivace RITE OF SPRING TOTALS Subscription Sales $87,105.00 Single Ticket Sales $49,472.00 Group Sales $6,549.00 Facility Fee $7,675.00 Total Revenue (including facility fee) $150,801.00 84% to goal Seats Sold 4,174 “It’s alarming. And memorable. And great theater.” Average Ticket Price $36.13 – David Lyman, The Cincinnati Enquirer on Rite of Spring Courtney Connor Jones & Cincinnati Ballet dancers MARKETING 21 Princess & the Pea Featuring: The Steadfast Tin Soldier and Princess & the Pea April 27–29, 2012 Aronoff Center for the Arts Music: Georges Bizet, Carmon DeLeone Choreography: Devon Carney, Victoria Morgan “The company’s final concert series is filled with ballet to love; a wholesome love story, some – but not too much – tragedy, a piece laced with brash, Broadway-ish bombast, and all of it wrapped up in a pair of ballets based on Hans Christian Andersen tales.