Ballet San Jose Needs $550,000 To Stay Afloat
Ballet San Jose announced this week that it must raise $550,000 by
March 14
to keep its doors open.
The company has a troubled past when it comes to leadership and funding. For instance, it sought out loans to help cover what critics more or less dubbed as overambitious seasons during the final decade of artistic director Dennis Nahat’s leadership. In 2013, former American Ballet Theatre dancer José Manuel Carreño was appointed AD. As we reported in our
January 2014 feature, during his first season, the company’s prospects were looking up. Though Carreño had little to no experience running a company, his fame helped donations rise during the 2012–13 season and Ballet San Jose nearly broke even, compared to a $1 million operating loss in the previous year.
In a press release, BSJ said that if it is open come September 2015, the company will rebrand itself as Silicon Valley Ballet—a move to more closely identify itself with the neighboring tech community.
Visit the donation page here.
José Manuel Carreño adjusts Ommi Pipit-Suksun in company class. Photo by Alejandro Gomez.
