Are both Texas Ballet Theater and Metropolitan Ballet Company now resident at the Bass Center? Am I the only one curious as to what is going on?

Fort Worth Dallas Ballet a while back was directed by Paul Mejia, who departed due to some... well... anyway....

Fort Worth Dallas Ballet was taken over not too long ago by Ben Stevenson and renamed Texas Ballet Theater, and performs at the new Bass performing arts center.

Now Ballet Arlington, co-directed by Paul Mejia, has renamed itself Metropolitan Ballet Company of Arlington and Forth Worth and is also performing at the Bass arts center.

What is happening here? Or rather, is someone willing to talk about what is going on behind the scenes here?

I have no opinion... I'm not familiar with either company... I just sense a story and wonder what it is. Or is it just that Dallas/Ft. Worth are big enough for two ballet companies... one ABT-style and one NYCB-style?

Hmm, never heard of this before. It's certainly interesting. I love the idea of two companies in one area (heck, bring Mejia's company to Houston- there's certainly enough room), but for them to be in the same theater is a bit strange.

As a member of Metropolitan Ballet Company I feel I can answer these questions easily!




MCB dances at Bass Hall and Texas Hall in Arlington TX. TBT is Bass Hall's resident co.





Mr Mejia is a strong leader with ideas and not easily influenced by board members "artistic ideas". I hope that Ben Stevenson gives the company some direction again.





Hehe, nothing dramatic or too gossipy, sorry. We have backing and they have backing. The more dancing the better right?




MCB is directed by Alexander Vetrov of Bolshoi fame (he teaches co. classes) and Paul Mejia. I would not say we are NYCB-style. All our principle dancers are Russian actually. I am one of the few American full-company dancers (not apprentice, trainee). I think TBT is English/Houston style. They offer Mr Stevensons full-length ballets while we offer almost always mixed reps. Our recent shows have included Sparticus selections, Agon, an Eddy Tousants premiere, and a Paul Mejia premiere. One of our upcoming reps is Prodigal Son, Paquita, and Paganini (Bolshoi repitoire). So you can see we have an interesting mix. Our website is - www.mcballet.org. Check out the Photo Galleries for sure!
I hope this answered a few questions!




Edited to remove gossip

[ADMIN BEANIE ON]

I'd like to reiterate the short version of the gossip rules:

"If it's in print -- in a newspaper or magazine article, on a web site, in a brochure, a newspaper ad, or on a poster outside the theater, that's news. If not, it's gossip." The long version is here.

I thought it would be clear that asking for gossip -- the scoop, what happens backstage, etc. -- is also off limits, but it seems I must make this explicit.

[ADMIN BEANIE OFF]

I enjoyed reading that first hand answer. Just as any fyi, one evening I did a search on the "links" forum ..... perhaps typed in "texas ballet" (can't remember now - maybe it was "Fort Worth") - found a lot of articles about both companies over the last two years that were very informative. I was also curious about MBC.

Back in the late Sixties there were three: Dallas Civic Ballet (can't remember who ran it), Dallas Metropolitan Ballet (Ann Etgin and Bill Atkinson), and Dallas Ballet Theater (Victor Moreno).

So there were lots of opportunities to dance, although none of them paid. I don't know how companies managed to hold on to dancers...combined love of the art and the city, I suppose.

Dallas Ballet was ran by Natalie Skelton and then later by George Skibine and Marjorie Tallchief.

Well things have settled nevertheless and the two companies do share the Bass. Texas Ballet Theatre is the resident company, and thus gets dibs on the dates for the Bass.

http://www.texasballettheater.org/ and as you saw above
http://www.mcballet.org/

TBT, the larger company of the two, has not officially announced its 2005-2006 season I think, but I know that Romeo and Juliet is definitely being performed. MCB's season was announced during its last performance, and the web site reflects the performances.

To be honest I am glad the two companies manage to survive in Ft. Worth. Each has a very distinct repertoire and artistic flavor. I have only seen TBT's Swan Lake, but have attended several of MCB's performances in the last year and a half. Being new to Ballet, it is great to be exposed to the Bolshoi style by first generation artists.

I hope to rectify the lack of my attendance of TBT shows this year.