San Diego Ballet (SDB) mission is, “to entertain, enrich, and excite its diverse audience through imaginative presentations of quality classical and contemporary dance.” It delivers its mission with professional level performances and through education and outreach directly in communities.
Their dedication to the community speaks to their ‘enrich’ portion of their mission. For over 10 years, SDB has provided free classes to students at the San Diego Library’s Performance Annex in City Heights, San Diego’s most diverse neighborhood. Students not only get access to classes, they also become part of the art form. Students are led through journaling exercises that lead to improv and creative moments so that ballet is something they can do and create.
Students also get exposure to live professional dance in two ways. One is that the company members of SDB come to them and perform in a special concert involving the students for their families and local community members. The other, is coming to SDB’s fully staged productions for a real night out at the theater. Next up, students will attend SDB’s Romeo and Juliet at the Conrad in La Jolla February 17th and 18th and get an opportunity for a backstage tour and Q & A session with the dancers.
Whether or not these students choose a professional pathway in the arts, SDB hopes that it is doing its part in helping to develop lifelong advocates for the arts in the San Diego region.