The Florida Ballet is going through major changes heading into its 31st season. With the economy in its current state, the company has had to cut its budget by 30 percent and eliminate a few administrative positions.
“We cut anything in the budget that didn’t affect artistic quality,” Laurie Picinich-Bird, artistic director says. “We finished last season with all our commitments followed through.”
Picinich-Bird is extremely proud of that fact because while The Florida Ballet finished strong throughout the end of its season, other companies nearby deteriorated and had no choice but to succumb to the economic pressure.
Ballet Florida, a company based out of Palm Beach closed its doors completely while Miami City Ballet was forced to cut certain performances.
Through the troubles and discouragement, Picinich-Bird remains optimistic about the upcoming season.
“We’re just going to have to do more and take on more responsibility,” she says. “Everyone’s got their sleeves rolled up.”
She feels that though the economic situation is beyond tough, a loophole must be found so that younger children still have an opportunity through dance and art.
“We can’t tell these children to put their dreams on hold,” she says. “We just have to find different resources. Some of us just need to step up and get more creative.”
Picinich-Bird is confident that will be the case for their 31st season.
Picinich-Bird says not only will the creative resources help keep the company vibrant and going, but their new training program will also play a major role in their success.
The training program was launched by the American Ballet Theatre in New York and is modeled after the National Training Curriculum created for dancers of all sorts. The curriculum was even passed by Congress and medical professionals.
“The program trains more intelligently, so as they grow, their bodies aren’t pushed to the extreme,” Picinich-Bird says. “Dancers are actually on stage performing now at an older age. Some companies are now even emphasizing dancers over the age of 40. It never used to be like that.”
The new incorporated training program will be just one way to measure the future success of The Florida Ballet. But really, the success had already been measured in other ways for the Downtown-based company.
“We actually have 100 percent acceptance rate for our students that apply to universities dance companies,” she says.
And now, with updated, improved and even a Congressional approved training program and curriculum put into place for the company, the measurements of success will continue to get bigger and better.