Hale and hardy: Marie Hale's Palm Beach company begins its ninth season on a firmer-than-ever footing - Ballet Florida

Dance Magazine, Sept, 1994 by Kristy Montee

When executive director Surber came on board last year, one of the first things he did was spend three days and nights on the bus with the dancers on a tour of Texas. He also spent time in lobbies, listening to audience comments. One thing he, a former schoolteacher, learned was that not enough children are coming to see dance. Surber has since been working with Palm Beach County officials on an educational outreach program. In the works are a collaboration performance with the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra and a version of Anne Frank for high school students as part of the state-mandated Holocaust education program.

But Surber's primary job is to upgrade and streamline Ballet Florida's administrative side, which has been chaotic in the past. The company has often teetered on the edge of bankruptcy. "I have the heart of an artist, but the mind of a businessman," Surber says. "Ballet is a business, but a special business. Of course, you cannot run it in a cutthroat way like an IBM, but it can be run efficiently. What we're doing now is not downsizing, it's 'right-sizing.'"

Ballet Florida projects a $2.6 million budget next year and no debt. With its new Nutcracker, it expects to be less reliant on donations for income. But benefactors have always played a big role in Ballet Florida's rapid growth.

The company's new headquarters was donated by Connecticut philanthropist Leslie Claydon-White. The building is located blocks from the Kravis Center in an emerging arts district, which will eventually house the Palm Beach Opera, a historical museum, and the Palm Beach County School of the Performing Arts.

"The people of Palm Beach have been generous to us, but they still hold us accountable," says Surber. "You still have to prove yourself. These days, people want value for their dollar, even in the arts. Especially in the arts."

And competition--for audiences, dollars, and even theater dates--is heating up on Ballet Florida's turf. Miami City Ballet has its own subscription series at the Kravis Center, and hopes to open a satellite office in Palm Beach next year. And each Christmas, no sooner does Miami City Ballet strike the sets for its million dollar Balanchine Nutcracker at the Kravis Center than Ballet Florida moves in its own Nutcracker.

What was once a cultural wasteland now teems with year-round vitality. There is a second new performing arts center in nearby Fort Lauderdale, and another planned for Miami. The dance card, which last season included Bolshoi Ballet, Royal Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Royal Winnipeg Ballet, will become even fuller.

"Things have gotten very, very competitive here," Surber says.

Hale remains optimistic, albeit cautious, about her young company's place in all this. "People go to see us, and they go to see Miami City Ballet. We're completely different types of companies, and there's room for both of us here."

With a gesture as graceful as a port de bras, Hale points to an old photo on the wall. It is of Whitford Price, her tap teacher from Greenwood, Mississippi.