Mid-Columbia Ballet: An exciting but uncertain year for MCB

Sometimes running a nonprofit arts organization is hard. Sometimes running a nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the art of ballet is even harder. But you know what? It’s all worth it.

Each year, approximately 180 cast members fill the stage to perform in a Tri-Cities tradition, Mid-Columbia Ballet’s “The Nutcracker.” For 2020, however, this iconic Mid-Columbia performance is going to look different than it ever has before because of the venue. As many community members are aware, the auditorium at Richland High School will be closing for renovation.

The Board of Directors of Mid-Columbia Ballet were determined not to let this setback in venue space pause an event that so many in the community look forward to and plan their year around. In December 2020, Mid-Columbia Ballet will produce “The Nutcracker” at the Toyota Center in Kennewick. There won’t be a great backstage or dressing room with mirrors. The performers will have to do costume changes in tents, and the company will have to rent backdrops because the iconic Mid-Columbia Ballet set was designed by Greg Elder specifically for the RHS auditorium stage.

We also aren’t sure if we are actually going to be able to “make it snow” onstage, and because the dates are so close to Christmas, we may have low ticket turnout. But if there is an upside for anyone, it will be for our Tri-Cities 5th graders. We have been providing “The Nutcracker” school performances since the early 1990s. In the early years we could accommodate every 5th grader, but with the growth of the Tri-Cities, that is not possible anymore. We can accommodate 3,000 students, and each year we turn away many schools.

Many schools tell us how disappointed their students are that they didn’t make the cut. At the Toyota Center, the 2020 school performances will have room for all Tri-Cities 5th grade students! When we go “home” to the newly renovated RHS auditorium in 2021, only 2,500 students will be able to attend school performances due to the renovation reducing the number of seats.

All these concerns aside, MCB will still continue to provide our holiday tradition to Tri-Cities well into the future. While there will be challenges ahead, the experience that our company members grow up with provides a stability and comfort, in addition to the life skills learned in ballet class. For generations, our alumni have “come home” to watch classes at Tri-Cities Academy of Ballet or help backstage at Mid-Columbia Ballet’s annual repertory performances.

Coming home is what the arts feel like to so many people in our community. The performing arts tell a story of community, respect, identity and empathy. But don’t get us wrong – venues are important! Mid-Columbia Ballet is a partner organization of the Arts Center Task Force. With that partnership, we advocate every day for a dedicated performing arts space to be built in our community. But the opportunity for us to gather, and share, is all around us.

We hope that you will join us, our Board of Directors, staff, volunteers and dancers of Mid-Columbia Ballet for the 2020-2021 season as we explore venues new to us and continue our important work of advancing the art of ballet through performance and education opportunities.

This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Mid-Columbia Ballet: An exciting but uncertain year for MCB."