A ‘DREAM COME TRUE’
Harriett’s Orlando Ballet Centre opens to community
Standing on a gleaming terrace, Orlando Ballet executive director Shane Jewell looked out past mossy tree branches blowing in the wind to the water of Lake Formosa. “The whole idea of the building is to be a space for the community, not just for the ballet,” he said.
Jewell was giving a tour of Harriett’s Orlando Ballet Centre at Loch Haven Park, just days before its grand unveiling to the public.
The $12.5 million structure, named for chief donor Harriett Lake, was presented to the community in a ribbon-cutting Friday morning.
“This is a historic day for Orlando Ballet, and the future of the organization has never looked brighter,” Jewell said at the event, attended by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and other dignitaries. Artist Shelley Lake flew in from New York to represent her late mother and helped cut the ceremonial ribbon. Harriett Lake died in 2018.
“She was funny, caring, determined, a true force,” friend Bob Yarmouth said in a tribute. “Her dream has come true. I
know she is smiling.”
The sparkling new center not only becomes a new community space, but it should also help strengthen Orlando’s namesake ballet company, while providing a new anchor for many of the city’s best-known cultural amenities in the southwest corner of the park.
“It is a beacon of creativity and innovation and something our children’s children’s children’s children can enjoy,” Jewell said to applause.
Versatility is the watchword of the 38,000-squarefoot structure that reunites Orlando Ballet’s school, administrative offices and the professional troupe’s rehearsal spaces under one roof.
A juice bar by day for students can be a cocktail bar in the evenings for special functions. With the press of a button, larger dance studios can be split into two smaller spaces when needed — such as for classes attended by toddlers. A box office is accessible from inside the grand lobby or from the street. Large windows throughout the building make indoor spaces bright — but if the lake views start to distract students, blinds can be automatically closed. Artwork evokes tutus and depicts dancers popping from the walls as silver silhouettes. “Everyone on staff is very appreciative of this,” said artistic director Robert Hill, gesturing around the grand hall during Tuesday’s tour. “So we’re treating it with a great deal of respect.” He choked up at the Jan. 10 ribbon-cutting: “I wasn’t expecting it to be this overwhelming,” he said as he composed himself. “I am blown away.”
The new building is a far cry from the days when the ballet was homeless. In 2013, a mold infestation forced the company from its longtime space in the former Orlando Utilities Commission power plant. The community stepped up as the organization scattered: Dancers rehearsed in empty space in the Church Street Exchange, Florida Hospital (now AdventHealth) provided virtually rent-free office space, the school found space in warehouses.
“We just kept going,” Hill said.
But conditions were obviously far from ideal when rehearsing in rooms not designed for dancers.
“They shouldn’t be worried about doing lifts and hitting their heads on an airconditioning vent,” said Jewell, reminiscing about previous rehearsal spots. But now “I think the quality of the facility finally matches the quality of the company.”
Both Jewell and Hill think the new space’s effect on the company should be great. “It’s only natural it will have an impact,” Hill said. “The dancers, the first time they were in the building, they were in tears. They’re in a different emotional space. Even when I walk in the building I stand up straighter.”
A new facility also attracts more dancers and students; representatives of other companies have also been checking out the space, Hill said.
The building can also strengthen the company financially: There are naming opportunities for sponsors. Rental income is expected to be strong; weddings are already being booked. The company has invested in theatrical lighting and equipment so theater companies without their own venue could also be potential renters.
Although the company will still present its main programs at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, smaller events can be held at the Harriett center, saving the troupe money on its own rental expenses. On Jan. 25, for example, the Ballet Ball — a major fundraiser for the organization — will take place there.
“This is going to be an important building not just for the ballet, but for the community as a whole,” said Dyer on Friday morning, acknowledging the role city and county government had in the project. The city provided the lakefront land; the county provided funds through its tourist-development tax on hotel stays.
“When we work together,” Dyer said, “we can make great things happen.”
Find me on Twitter @matt_on_arts or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Want more theater and arts news? Go to orlandosentinel.com/arts.