The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
CLEVELAND BALLET INKS LOCAL DEAL
Harbortown Fine Arts Council plans with dance company to summer in Vermilion
The Cleveland Ballet will summer in Vermilion, according to a new plan by the dance troupe and the Harbourtown Fine Arts Center.
The arts center, located in the historic town hall and playhouse at 736 Main St. in Vermilion, will have its first professional ballet company in residence.
Jim Chapple, president of the HFAC, and Michael Krasnyanksy, president and CEO of Cleveland Ballet, first announced the plan in August at a fundraising event at the home of Deanne and Scott Sprenger.
“We are so thrilled of our partnership with the charming town of Vermilion,” Krasnyanksy said. “It is a unique opportunity for our company to expand our audience reach in Northeast Ohio to not only the locals, but to summer tourists who would otherwise be unable to see our traditional performances at Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland.”
Since the announcement, the company performed the dance “Momentum” Sept. 18 as a fundraiser for the arts center.
“The show … was absolutely magical,” Chapple said. “It was just amazing and the whole city is just abuzz with the possibility of this future with this relationship between the Cleveland Ballet and the Harbourtown Fine Arts Center.”
Next year, Cleveland Ballet’s 28-member company will take the stage August through September, at the Harbourtown Fine Arts Center.
The opera house is scheduled to undergo extensive renovations this year.
The Dorn Foundation of Sandusky has donated $10,000 toward fire safety issues, and HFAC is raising money for new handicap-accessible restrooms.
Those are key upgrades for using the facility for public performances, Chapple said.
“Audiences will get to experience world-recognized and distinguished artists from top tier ballet companies,” including the New York City Ballet, the Bavarian State Ballet, the Israel Ballet Company, the A.S. Armenian Opera as well as the Ballet National Academic Theatre, according to plans.
“Cleveland Ballet will feature a unique program that will include classical, neoclassical and contemporary works,” the announcement said. “The diverse repertoire will be done in collaboration with members of The Cleveland Orchestra and The Cleveland Opera, offering Vermillion audiences a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience three magnificent artforms by world-class artists.”
The collaboration “is an amazing opportunity, not only for Harbourtown Fine Arts Center, but for the city of Vermilion,” Chapple said.
“This partnership continues our mission to ‘nurture the growth of fine arts in the community’ and allows Vermilion residents to see and experience all forms of the arts,” he said. “We hope that we can continue the restoration of this historic building with fundraising opportunities with the Cleveland Ballet, as well as bring performances by the troupe to our citizens.”
Vermilion Mayor Jim Forthofer commented on the collaboration in his Sept. 13 report to City Council.
“Whether you are a follower of ballet or not, you have to agree that the recent decision of the Cleveland Ballet to take residency in Vermilion is a proud moment for our community,” the mayor said.
Forthofer credited Chapple for making the arrangements with Cleveland Ballet “by selling them on the unique charms of Vermilion.”
The Cleveland Ballet is the third version of the performance company whose earlier incarnations date to 1935.
The current Cleveland Ballet formed in 2014 by Russian-American businessman and Odessa native Krasnyansky and his wife, Puerto Rican-born artistic director Gladisa Guadalupe.
The current ballet company is based at Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland.