Friday, June 26, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
STATE OF THE JOFFREY
Dear Friends of The Joffrey Ballet:
As The Joffrey Ballet ends its fiscal year in an economy that has battered, bruised and, in some cases, wiped out, America’s performing arts organizations, we count ourselves fortunate to find we have a plethora of friends, old and new, who continue to demonstrate their commitment to our continuing success. Through new subscriptions to our performances, which, as of May 31st, are up 22 percent over last year, and through their contributions, which thus far exceed last year’s by more than 12 percent, The Joffrey’s friends have expressed their support for world-class dance in Chicago .
Many of you conveyed your commitment to The Joffrey through generous contributions; others through taking timely action or working with staff to make difficult but necessary decisions. When it became clear, for example, that corporate contributions would be off by nearly a third, our Board and Women’s Board worked hard to make up that difference in giving and procured individual contributions. And when it was recognized that initial organizational goals were too ambitious for the economic climate, The Joffrey’s leaders created plans to cut costs and increase earned and contributed revenues without compromising our renowned artistic integrity.
As The Joffrey Ballet ends its fiscal year in an economy that has battered, bruised and, in some cases, wiped out, America’s performing arts organizations, we count ourselves fortunate to find we have a plethora of friends, old and new, who continue to demonstrate their commitment to our continuing success. Through new subscriptions to our performances, which, as of May 31st, are up 22 percent over last year, and through their contributions, which thus far exceed last year’s by more than 12 percent, The Joffrey’s friends have expressed their support for world-class dance in Chicago .
Many of you conveyed your commitment to The Joffrey through generous contributions; others through taking timely action or working with staff to make difficult but necessary decisions. When it became clear, for example, that corporate contributions would be off by nearly a third, our Board and Women’s Board worked hard to make up that difference in giving and procured individual contributions. And when it was recognized that initial organizational goals were too ambitious for the economic climate, The Joffrey’s leaders created plans to cut costs and increase earned and contributed revenues without compromising our renowned artistic integrity.
In fact, with more than a little help from our friends, I am proud to say that we have met every new goal and measure our Board set forth in its plan for financial stability and artistic excellence for The Joffrey Ballet in fiscal year 2009. In appreciation, and to share this good news, I am moved to write to you what I pledge will become an annual fiscal year-end ‘State of the Joffrey’ report.
These past twelve months have been truly thrilling and enormously challenging which many would say is a good summary of The Joffrey Ballet’s 53-year history. At the Joffrey, we live in a state of constant motion. People notice this right away when they visit Joffrey Tower, our new home in Chicago’s Theater District on the corner of State and Randolph. You get a sense of our whirlwind before you even come inside; if you look up at our windows you’ll see flurries of dance as our company prepares for one of their stellar performances. Inside, you could find kids pounding the boards with their first pair of tap shoes or a troupe of students from ten different Chicago area high schools reworking a difficult ensemble piece—their concentration alone a palpable moving force. There is movement and energy everywhere. Analyzing and describing the state of this organization at any given time is challenging, but reflection is important, as it reveals that The Joffrey Ballet has been strengthened by taking on key characteristics that have made Chicago itself such a great city: high-energy ambition and prudent financial management.
That this was a dynamic year is something of an understatement. In this first full year under new staff leadership, with Ashley Wheater as artistic director and me as executive director the Joffrey completed all but the endowment phase of its $35 million fundraising campaign, which allowed the organization to move into its first permanent home. This strategic and timely move, which was championed by Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and other community and business leaders, allows the company’s creative leadership, artistic ensemble and administrative staff to work under one roof, streamlining operations and creating opportunities to generate revenue through dance classes and facility rentals.
In September 2008, the Joffrey opened its doors to the public and hosted a week of events that brought the city together to celebrate our new home. Just six months later, we launched a major new venture that is already outpacing projected revenues, the Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet. Joffrey Tower’s state-of-the-art dance studios are a major draw for Academy students at all levels. I am proud to report that we now have the largest pre-professional training program in the United States.
Most importantly, the Joffrey provided Chicago audiences with a season of critically acclaimed artistic programming in 41 performances for 80,910 people, with one world premiere and four company premiers. In addition, the Joffrey performed at Dance for Life and the Chicago Dancing Festival at the Harris Theater, at Millennium Park and Ravinia and presented a free Evening of Remembrances on September 11th at the Pritzker Pavilion for an audience of 9,000. In December, the Joffrey toured its production of The Nutcracker with seven performances each at the Detroit Opera House for more than 11,000 people and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for nearly 15,000 people, and in January collaborated with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for two educational performances. The company also traveled to Arizona in March where it presented mixed repertory programs to sold-out audiences in Tucson and Scottsdale.
Over the past year, the Joffrey has continued to reach out to students in Chicago’s underserved neighborhoods, providing dance instruction and fine arts education through its Community Engagement programs. This year those programs engaged more than 4,000 students. Most participants come from low-income households, through Chicago Public Schools, After School Matters, Gallery 37 and the Chicago Park District.
Our work in the community truly energizes our entire organization. That was clear at a recent performance of teenage dancers at our black box theater. The dancers participate in The Joffrey’s Exelon Strobel Step-Up program, a rigorous scholarship program for promising high school students that gives them opportunities to showcase their talents. In the audience were, of course, dancers’ families and friends and The Joffrey’s Community Engagement staff, but it is also worth noting that many company dancers and Joffrey staff came to offer their support, as did a particularly enthusiastic front-row, bravo-calling audience member, artistic director, Ashley C. Wheater. Ashley’s new leadership in The Joffrey’s ongoing dedication to our community was recognized in December 2008, when he was awarded the prestigious Boeing Chicago Game Changer Award for his commitment to fostering diversity, creating opportunities for dancers from underserved communities and reaching out to new audiences.
Alongside all of the energy it takes to create world-class ballet, dance education and community service is the steady, prudent governance, planning and oversight necessary to promote the Joffrey’s fiscal stability while sustaining its history of exceptional artistic integrity. To meet this challenge amidst a global recession, the Joffrey’s staff and Board leaders instituted a cost-saving plan—a plan that the Chicago Tribune used as an example of skillfulness in performing arts survival:
“For starters, these organizations—well-versed in the art of survival—long ago learned how to navigate the ups and downs of economic cycles, even a decline as severe as the current one. Thus The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, for instance, eight months ago froze hiring and decided to get by without a marketing director (among other positions). By cutting back on administrative costs, the work that matters most—the dance—can be presented undisturbed.” Chicago Tribune February 1, 2009
Along with the Tribune’s kudos for skill and timeliness in cutting costs to help weather the economic crisis, the Joffrey was also cited by the Wall Street Journal in an article titled “Helping Themselves” (April 22, 2009) for its mastery in organizational survival, this time for creative solutions in raising needed revenue with the Academy of Dance. The Academy puts our new facility to more complete use, offers company dancers the opportunity to teach and gets students and their families excited about the Joffrey. In addition to adding direct tuition and fee revenue since its January opening, the Academy is also producing new subscribers, single ticket buyers, contributors and volunteers.
In this year when extraordinary creative energy was so well balanced with fiscal prudence, there are many people to recognize and thank. Among them are our season sponsors: Joffrey Vice Chairmen Miles White of Abbott and Gary Holdren of Huron Consulting, Joffrey Board Member Rosemary Moore of United Airlines as well as our outgoing Board Chairman Maureen Dwyer Smith, our dedicated Capital & Endowment Campaign Chairman James J. O’Connor, our incoming Board Chairman and longtime Joffrey champion Fred Eychaner, Robert Graham our Development Committee Chair, Ambassador Helen Hall Melchior, and the other members of the Joffrey’s Board of Directors and Women’s Board. I extend, too, my gratitude and deep respect to Ashley C. Wheater, the Joffrey Ballet’s dancers and the other talented Joffrey artists who consistently offer audiences superhuman dance.
Finally, my sincere thanks to all of you, our friends and supporters for helping the Joffrey settle successfully in its permanent home in this great city.
Best regards,
Christopher Clinton Conway
Best regards,
Christopher Clinton Conway
Executive Director
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