The entire 20-member Board of Directors of Minnesota Dance Theatre has resigned citing “it is no longer able to serve the needs of the organization going forward.”
The Minneapolis StarTribune reported that the company, founded by Loyce Houlton more than a half-century ago and currently run by her daughter, former ABT and Stuttgart Ballet soloist Lise Houlton, along with former NYCB principal and Minneapolis native Charles Askegard, has a history of difficult dealings between board members and artistic directorship. Back in the 1980s, the board fired the company's founder and attempted one of those combined-company time-share arrangements with Pacific Northwest Ballet which was unsuccessful.
Historically, MDT has featured a lot of contemporary ballets along with its successful Nutcracker. It finished 2012 (the last Form 990 filed) in the black, but it has struggled financially like many other regional companies.
All of this turbulence coming shortly before ABT's visit to Minneapolis in April makes one suspect that David Koch's ballet company may once again be involved in the upheaval as it was a couple of years ago when ABT assisted in the ouster of the director of Ballet San Jose and also forced its obnoxious and controversial affiliation through the Dance Department at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts without the esteemed faculty's input or knowledge.
Minneapolis is a largely untapped classical ballet market. Given the way in which ABT previously wormed its way through the back door to leverage an independent organization, it might be expected to work in Minneapolis as well.
That an entire Board has withdrawn its support from the state's largest dance company is a significant matter and should be of concern to us all.
February 1st editor's note:
In a note to H.H., Charles Askegard clarified that he became the Associate Artistic Director of MDT in August 2013 and resigned in November 2013. He knew nothing of the company's board of director's decision to resign.
8 responses to “Minnesota Dance Theatre Board resigns”
Thanks for this interesting information. I am a graduate of UNCSA and recently went back to visit. I was not aware of the controversy around ABT’s affiliation with the school. If you have any articles or additional information, I would be very interested to learn more.
Thanks for this interesting information. I am a graduate of UNCSA and recently went back to visit. I was not aware of the controversy around ABT’s affiliation with the school. If you have any articles or additional information, I would be very interested to learn more.
Hi Ashley.
Here’s a link to an article in the Winston-Salem Journal: http://www.journalnow.com/news/local/article_f661f8b6-4c62-5207-9cee-03e212209caf.html
At some point in time, I also observed a summary of the minutes of the faculty council meeting, but I can’t seem to find them online now.
The absurd notion that the prestigious & highly credentialed dance faculty, which for decades had produced professional dancers of the highest caliber including many who ended up at ABT, needed to be “trained” and “certified” by ABT’s stumblebums as acceptable teachers would have been laughable if it hadn’t been so offensive.
Hi Ashley.
Here’s a link to an article in the Winston-Salem Journal: http://www.journalnow.com/news/local/article_f661f8b6-4c62-5207-9cee-03e212209caf.html
At some point in time, I also observed a summary of the minutes of the faculty council meeting, but I can’t seem to find them online now.
The absurd notion that the prestigious & highly credentialed dance faculty, which for decades had produced professional dancers of the highest caliber including many who ended up at ABT, needed to be “trained” and “certified” by ABT’s stumblebums as acceptable teachers would have been laughable if it hadn’t been so offensive.
Wow, thank you so much for sharing as I had no idea. I had noticed the increased affiliation with ABT which was a bit surprising given that back in my day, there was also a strong Balanchine influence due to Melissa Hayden’s presence on the faculty (I was a bit surprised that the school did not continue that by bringing on another Balanchine-trained faculty member). I am sad to hear that the ABT affiliation was apparently forced upon the faculty and also cannot fathom the idea that they needed to be “trained” or “certified” by ABT.
Wow, thank you so much for sharing as I had no idea. I had noticed the increased affiliation with ABT which was a bit surprising given that back in my day, there was also a strong Balanchine influence due to Melissa Hayden’s presence on the faculty (I was a bit surprised that the school did not continue that by bringing on another Balanchine-trained faculty member). I am sad to hear that the ABT affiliation was apparently forced upon the faculty and also cannot fathom the idea that they needed to be “trained” or “certified” by ABT.
True, Ashley.
True, Ashley.