New director keeps ballet on its toes

Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2006 | 7:17 a.m.

What: Nevada Ballet Theatre's 35th Anniversary Gala

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Where: Lake Las Vegas

Admission: $49 for general admission; $69 for orchestra seating

Information: 474-4000, www.nevadaballet.com

Nevada Ballet Theatre heads into its 35th season with a new executive director, a Balanchine production and the ever-present awareness that it needs to be ready when the Smith Center of the Performing Arts opens in 2010.

The "to do" list? It's lengthy. Around Nevada Ballet's campus, it's known formally as the "Next Stage."

"We need to ramp up," says Beth Barbre, who took over as executive director from Harris Ferris near the end of last season.

This means launching an endowment campaign this year, selling more tickets and raising funds to increase the operating budget, finding a way to provide live music for performances and adding a second campus in Henderson to its wish list.

"It all boils down to money. There's never enough," Barbre says.

Nevada Ballet's annual budget is $3 million, with almost a quarter of that coming from ticket sales. Barbre says the annual budget should be $5 million when the Smith Center opens. The ballet's endowment stands at $1.5 million, and none of that is used for operating expenses.

"We have a challenge to grow our audience in a managed way for the theaters that we're in, but grow it also for when we open at the Smith Center," she says. The ballet had more than 1,000 season subscribers last year.

Barbre came to Las Vegas from Portland, Ore., with an impressive resume. She worked seven years as managing director for the Oregon Ballet Theatre, during which she helped launch a $20 million fundraising campaign and secured the company in its new home, a renovated bank building. Prior to that, she was administrator for the George Balanchine Trust, where she made deep connections in the dance world, and was company manager for the New York City Ballet.

She was attracted to Las Vegas by the chance to usher Nevada Ballet Theatre into the new performing arts center, much as it has helped lure conductor candidates for the Las Vegas Philharmonic. "It is a testament to the arts here," she says.

Barbre wants the ballet to dance to live music, "even if it's not a full orchestra. It could be a violin and piano or a chamber orchestra."

She has talked with Philip Koslow, executive director of the Las Vegas Philharmonic, who says the orchestra is eager to work with the ballet to elevate both organizations in Las Vegas.

Last year, the ballet had to present its moneymaker, "The Nutcracker," without live music after it lost its space at the Rio's Samba Room. The company moved to the smaller Judy Bayley Theatre at UNLV, which meant more performances. It also made the orchestra, which charges fees per performance, too costly.

Nevada Ballet officially opens its season Friday with a gala performance on the floating stage at Lake Las Vegas. The performance will feature San Francisco Ballet dancers Lorena Feijoo and Joan Boada. Performances will include the Black Swan pas de deux and the pas de deux from "Don Quixote."

The season also includes "An All Balanchine Celebration: From Tchaikovsky to Gershwin" and revivals of artistic director Bruce Steivel's "Dracula" and "Peter Pan."

The Balanchine production was in the works before Barbre arrived. Nevada Ballet did Balanchine's "Allegro Brillante" a couple of years ago, but it has become more difficult to get approval to dance the choreographer's works. Nevada Ballet sent audition tapes to get the nod for four pieces this year. "Without that stamp of approval, you're not accepted as an important company," Steivel says.

Balanchine was a link between Barbre and Steivel. They knew each other peripherally when she was with the Balanchine Trust and he was with the Hong Kong Ballet. Barbre says she was impressed with Nevada Ballet and its Summerlin facilities, which the company owns.

"We come from the same background and we sing the same language," he says.

Margot Mink Colbert, a choreographer who is assistant chairwoman of the UNLV dance department, says a larger budget and more focus on ensemble - rather than solo dancers - could help strengthen Nevada Ballet.

"The greatest strength is that it exists," she says. "It's very difficult to maintain a company in Las Vegas, especially because there's too much competition for attention and for dollars."