Richmond Ballet Inc

RICHMOND BALLET AWAKENS, UPLIFTS, AND UNITES HUMAN SPIRITS THROUGH THE POWER OF DANCE. DEDICATED TO THE EVOLUTION OF BALLET AS A VERSATILE LANGUAGE OF MOVEMENT THAT CROSSES NATIONAL AND CULTURAL BOUNDARIES, WE SEEK TO DRAW AN EVER BROADER RANGE OF ARTISTS, STUDENTS, AND AUDIENCES TO EXPERIENCE THE MAGIC OF DANCE THROUGH INSPIRING PERFORMANCES, OUTSTANDING TRAINING, AND MEANINGFUL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT.

PROFESSIONAL COMPANY PERFORMANCES - RICHMOND BALLET IS ONE OF VIRGINIA'S FINEST ART AND DANCE EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS AND HAS GAINED NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM AS A PREMIER DANCE ORGANIZATION. APPROXIMATELY 30,000 PEOPLE IN AND AROUND THE RICHMOND, VA AREA JOINED RICHMOND BALLET FOR FOUR REPERTORY PRODUCTIONS AS WELL AS FULL LENGTH PRODUCTIONS OF "THE NUTCRACKER AND "ROMEO AND JULIET." RICHMOND BALLET ALSO COMPLETED TOURS AND VIRTUAL LECTURE DEMONSTRATIONS AT VARIOUS SCHOOLS AND LOCALITIES THROUGHOUT THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, INCLUDING VIRGINIA BEACH, REACHING OVER 30,000 STUDENTS AND 1,000 COMMUNITY PATRONS.

DANCE SCHOOL - THE SCHOOL OF RICHMOND BALLET OFFERS TRAINING IN A WIDE VARIETY OF DANCE FORMS, INCLUDING BALLET, MODERN, THEATER DANCE, AND CHARACTER. WITH NO AUDITION REQUIREMENT, ADMISSION TO THE SCHOOL IS INCLUSIVE. DANCE CLASSES ARE PROVIDED TO ALMOST 900 STUDENTS, AGES 4 TO ADULT, 7 DAYS A WEEK. THE SCHOOL ALSO PROVIDES ADVANCED TRAINING FOR QUALIFIED STUDENTS WHO PERFORM WITH THE BALLET'S PROFESSIONAL DANCE COMPANY. OVER $235,000 GIVEN IN FINANCIAL AID AND SCHOLARSHIPS HELPED NEARLY 100 STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN DANCE CLASSES THIS YEAR, WITH APPROXIMATELY $50,000 OF THIS FUNDING ASSISTING BIPOC DANCERS.

MINDS IN MOTION (MIM) - MIM IS RICHMOND BALLET'S PRIMARY COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM, TYPICALLY REACHING NEARLY 2,000 CHILDREN FROM A RANGE OF SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS. THIS IN-SCHOOL PROGRAM FEATURES AN ENGAGING, MOVEMENT-BASED CURRICULUM TAUGHT BY PROFESSIONAL TEACHING ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS IN SCHOOLS THROUGHOUT VIRGINIA AND ISRAEL. MIM STRIVES TO NURTURE SELF-CONFIDENCE IN STUDENTS AND ENDEAVORS TO CULTIVATE COMMUNICATION AND TEAMWORK SKILLS. TEACHING ARTISTS FOLLOW A CURRICULUM THAT GUIDES STUDENTS TOWARD MASTERY OF COMPLEX MOVEMENT, TIMING, AND CHOREOGRAPHY. THROUGH THE EXPERIENCE OF SUCCESSFUL GROUP LEARNING, STUDENTS PERCEIVE AND MODEL THE VALUE AND BENEFITS OF TEAMWORK AND RESPECTFUL COMMUNICATION. THE PROGRAM CONCLUDES WITH AN ORIGINAL PRODUCTION PRESENTED FOR A LIVE AUDIENCE, THEMED THIS YEAR AROUND RESILIENCE AND COMMUNITY BUILDING. APPROXIMATELY 50% OF PARTICIPANTS ATTEND A TITLE I SCHOOL. SINCE ITS INCEPTION, MIM REMAINS THE ONLY PROGRAM OF ITS KIND IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA. IN ALL, TWENTY-TWO CULMINATING PERFORMANCES TOOK PLACE AT THE FOURTEEN PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS IN THE RICHMOND AREA, AND NEARLY 4,000 PEERS, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS CELEBRATED THE STUDENTS' DANCE ACHIEVEMENTS. THROUGH ITS RESIDENCY PROGRAM, MIM ALSO REACHED ANOTHER 450 STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN ISRAEL AND OTHER PARTS OF VIRGINIA.