Boston Ballet Dances on Dangerous Ground

Lindsay Live | Mar 19, 2008 | 1

Boston Ballet Studio

Boston Ballet is in serious financial trouble. So serious, in fact, that the company has announced plans to lay off nine members of the corps de ballet, downsizing the roster of dancers from 50-41.

Laying off dancers was a last resort, says artistic director Mikko Nissinen, who spent the last five years making administrative cuts. Those cuts saved the company $300,000 a year, but it just wasn't enough.

"We've done every exercise possible and this is what we have to do right now," explains Nissinen. "It's the only responsible thing for the future, but it's very painful."

The dancers took the news hard. Soloist Melanie Atkins reveals, "Some people were crying, some people were shocked. Now, the dancers are sort of resigned. It has sunk in and we sort of understand the reasons."

But the reasons for the layoffs are somewhat illusive, considering the company just recently increased its endowment and subscriber base.

According to Bruce Bernier, Boston Ballet's current chief financial officer, the financial problems began when they lost their home at the Citi Performing Arts Center in 2004. In a bind, they performed the Nutcracker at the much smaller Colonial Theatre, a necessary decision that caused the company to take a huge financial hit.

"It's amazing this institution stayed in business," said Bernier. "You went from a theater when you were producing $6 million to $7 million a year - grossing - and went to a situation where we chose the Colonial for one year and the sales were basically cut in half that year. The operating loss that year was $4 million."

Forty-one dancers isn't enough to keep Boston Ballet in the top-tier, professes Atkins. The company hopes to regain its status in the next few years, working under-staffed until it can afford to rebuild its roster.

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Ballet, Enthusiast, Performance, Boston Ballet, Funding (all tags)