by April Helms
Special Products Editor
Munroe Falls Children's Ballet Theatre, under the artistic direction of Christine Meneer, will change its name to Ballet Theatre of Ohio as it makes the change from a preprofessional group to a professional ballet company.
Plans are under way to add staff and professional dancers to support this new company. Currently, Jennifer Moll and Jurijs Safonovs of Virginia Ballet, and Damien Highfield and Brian Murphy, formerly of Ohio Ballet, are named as members of the fledgling professional troupe.
Meneer announced the plan to become a professional group earlier this year. The company will consist of the current pre-professional division and the new professional division. Currently, the ballet troupe has 41 members, and the company seeks to hire between six to eight professional dancers for Ballet Theatre of Ohio.
The new company will not change what Akron audiences have come to love and appreciate, said Meneer, a former dancer with Ohio Ballet and Pennsylvania Ballet.
The new company will continue to perform "The Nutcracker" at Christmas and a spring full-length ballet, with a mix of student and professional dancers. The hiring of professionals dancers will raise the bar on all future productions, she said.
"We did not want to change our name completely," Meneer said of the new name. "We wanted to remind our audience that we are a ballet company, but that we also incorporate a lot of theater aspects, such as scenery, elaborate costumes and grand productions."
The newly-formed company will officially begin next June for the 2007-08 season.
Audiences will get the opportunity to preview the company in February 2007 at the Akron Civic Theatre. This series, titled "Ballet Under the Stars," will feature a tribute to Heinz Poll, Meneer's teacher and mentor.
Poll was the founder and longtime artistic director for the Ohio Ballet. He retired in 1999 and died in May.
The Ohio Ballet staged its last dances this summer.
Ballet Theatre of Ohio will be the first company besides Ohio Ballet to perform "Summer Night" and "Adagio for Two Dancers."
Also featured on the program will be two world premieres choreographed by Christine Meneer.
The formulation of an auxiliary board is in progress. Individuals interested in becoming part of this should call 330-688-6065.
E-mail: ahelms@recordpub.com
Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3153