The 2020-21 performance season was a tricky prospect for most organizations around the country. Flexibility, the ability to pivot on a dime, became the path to survival, and Fort Wayne Ballet managed to do it time and again, allowing them to use alternate venues and online access to present an almost complete season of performances.
This summer they continue to offer dance opportunities while still maintaining some of the protocols that have been in place for more than a year. Summer camps have already begun, and there is still more to come from the ballet in the months ahead.
“Our Summer Intensive program will have limited numbers like we had last year,” said Karen Gibbons-Brown, artistic director of Fort Wayne Ballet. “We will have dormitories again this year which we didn’t have last year.”
The Summer Intensive program, which brings dancers from around the country to Fort Wayne for a month of training with the ballet’s faculty and often some visiting professionals. The training, which begins on June 27, culminates in a performance at the Arts United Center on July 30. After that, the ballet will host more camps for young dancers. Once Upon a Fairy Tale camps run August 2-6 with classes for ages 3-4 and 5-6, running 9:30-11:30 each day. Camps for more advanced dancers are also available. Complete information and registration updates are available at fortwayneballet.org.
There’s also a full season on tap for 2021-22 including some productions which were altered due to COVID.
“The first weekend of October will be our repertory program Diversions, followed by Giselle around Halloween,” Gibbons-Brown said. “Of course The Nutcracker returns for the holidays, and we’ll probably have the Kris Kringle Marketplace on the Arts United plaza. Our production of Love Notes will return in February with Progressions in March. Our spring production of The Sleeping Beauty, which we had originally planned for last spring, will also feature the Fort Wayne Philharmonic.”
In addition to those performances, the Family Series – an opportunity for young fans to enjoy shorter, less formal performances and to meet and interact with the dancers – will feature the ballet’s Youth Company in kid-friendly shows including The Wizard of Oz, Ferdinand the Bull, and Alice in Wonderland.
Fort Wayne Ballet will also celebrate its 65th anniversary with a gala in May, followed by another round of camps and intensive training. It’s a busy schedule but one for which the ballet is grateful to share again with audiences hungry for live performances to return. Complete schedule of performances is available at fortwayneballet.org.
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