| BalletMet | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Name | BalletMet |
| Previous names | Ballet Metropolitan, Ballet Metropolitan Columbus |
| Founder | Daryl Kamer |
| Website | balletmet |
| Senior staff | |
| Executive Director | Sue Porter |
| Artistic staff | |
| Artistic Director | Remi Wörtmeyer |
| Other | |
| Official school | BalletMet Academy |
| Formation | 1978 |
BalletMet is an American ballet company and training program based in Columbus, Ohio.[1] Located in downtown Columbus, BalletMet facilities include a black box theatre performance space, seven dance studios, administrative offices, and costume and scene shops.
BalletMet's professional company stages 60 to 70 performances each year in Columbus and on tour. In the past, the company has toured 28 U.S. states and internationally to Russia, Poland, Egypt, Spain and Canada. Edwaard Liang has led the company as the artistic director for over 10 years.[2]
BalletMet operates a dance academy that instructs about 1,500 students of all ages yearly. Classes offered include ballet, tap, modern, and Pilates. The current Academy Director is Maria Torija, a former professional dancer with Berlin State Ballet.
BalletMet developed DanceReach, a series of educational and outreach programs serving nearly 30,000 people annually. The DanceReach program offers up to 60 scholarships each year to talented youth, many from minority and under-served groups, who could not otherwise participate in dance training.
The current company came into existence in July 1978, with a $200,000 grant from the Battelle Memorial Institute Foundation. At that time it consisted of three staff and 12 dancers, and soon hired Wayne Soulant as its first artistic director. By 1997, the company had expanded to 25 dancers.[3] The current company consists of 26 dancers and a second company of 6 dancers.