The History of the Ithaca Ballet
1961: The Ithaca Civic Ballet makes its public debut with a full-length program at Kulp Auditorium on June 9th, under the directorship of Vergiu Cornea of the Ithaca College Dance Department. Among the 12 dancers are Alice Reid, Bente King, and Daphne Sola.
1965: The Ballet Guild of Ithaca, Inc., is chartered as the business and supporting body of the not-for-profit Ithaca Ballet.
1968: Alice Reid moves from the position of ballet mistress to artistic director, upon the retirement of Vergiu Cornea.
1975: Under Alice Reid's directorship the Ithaca Ballet, skipping the usual probationary year, is admitted as a performing member of the Northeast Regional Ballet Assocation (NERBA) -- now Regional Dance America/Northeast (RDA/NE).
1983: The first summer dance camp, sponsored by the Ballet Guild of Ithaca, draws 24 students.
1984: Cindy Reid returns to Ithaca after dancing with American Ballet Theatre II and three seasons with the Chicago Nutcracker of the Arie Crown Theatre, and becomes associate director. Elizabeth Van Vleck and Lawrence Brantley receive Monticello scholarships to NARB Craft of Choreography Conference for their ballet Promenade
1985: Choreographer Joe Locarro wins the Astral Award to set his ballet Themes on a Cloth on a NERBA company. After seeing the Company at the Dover, Del., NERBA Festival, he chooses the Ithaca Ballet. Alice Reid establishes the Ballet Center of Ithaca, the official school of the Ithaca Ballet.
1989: The Children's Matinee Series, a subscription series with a fall and spring program of fairy tale and children's ballets and an annual Nutcracker production, is launched.
1990: The Ballet is awarded a New York State Arts Initiative Grant and develops an Arts-in-Education program bringing mini-performances and lecture-demonstrations to schools in nine contiguous counties. Part of the funds underwrite the making of a film on the process of choreography. Filmmaker Robert Lieberman bases the work on Lawrence Brantley's nationally recognized Boyceball.
1994: The RDA/NE adjudicator annually chooses one or more works for inclusion in the annual festival by Lavinia Reid, Brantley, or guest choreographers. This year a work by the Ballet's own young dancers is also chosen. Reaching Moksha is featured on the Emerging Choreographers Showcase at the Glassboro, NJ, Festival.
1996: The Ithaca Ballet premiers Snow White, choreography and music by Lavinia Reid, accompanied by the Pro Musica Quartet. The company performs The Nutcracker with the Finger Lakes Symphony at the Smith Opera House in Geneva, NY.
1997: The Ithaca Ballet performs at the nationally-known Grassroots Festival in Trumansburg, NY.
1998: The Ithaca Ballet expands its touring schedule of The Nutcracker to include every weekend from Thanksgiving to Christmas.
1999: Ballet Guild of Ithaca Summer Dance Camp has its largest enrollment in its 17-year history. The Company is featured in the Downtown Syracuse Association's Candlelight Series at Armory Square.
2000: The Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County presents Alice Reid with the Clinton B. Ford Award for Excellence and Leadership in the Arts.
2001: Ithaca Ballet performs Nutcracker to recordbreaking audiences in three performances as part of the grand re-opening of Historic Ithaca's State Theatre in December.
2004: The Tompkins County Foundation, Inc. presents Alice Reid with the Award for Excellence for Outstanding Volunteer Service to the Community.
2005: The Ithaca Ballet premieres Rafael Grigorian's full-length Romeo and Juliet at the State Theater. Lead roles in the production are danced by Principal Dancer Nadia Drake and Guest Artist Christopher Fellows.