Dance boom redux: ticket sales soar.

It sounds like an executive director's dream come true: For many dance companies across the country, ticket sales are steadily climbing; some are even soaring. Last year, things had been looking bleak for the dance world. Some critics questioned ballet's relevancy ("Ballet Bashing," Jan.); several companies, like Oakland Ballet and Ohio Ballet ("Dance Matters," April and Dec. 2006), folded under economic pressure. But from New York City to Chicago and beyond, the pendulum may be swinging the other way. The Joffrey Ballet's fall production of Cinderella broke box office records. Both Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and American Ballet Theatre showed a rise in their New York seasons. Why the recent jump?

Rachel Moore, executive director of ABT, credits the company's financial upswing to the targeting of two specific audiences: 18-29-year-olds and the family crowd. "We're emphasizing that it's a young exciting experience to attend the ballet," she says. Family crowds are lured in with special afternoon events where kids dress up in tutus, meet dancers, and learn steps before the performance. ABT's ticket prices and policies have also broadened, and tickets are cheaper and exchangeable. The Ailey company is also seeing rising ticket sales, two years after the new Ailey school and performance space appeared on the New York skyline. A few blocks west, The Ailey Extension, a new program of dance classes for the general public, has seen a big increase in the number of students since spring of 2005. "The idea is that if you're a fan of Ailey and you come to class here," says Sharon Luckman, executive director of Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, "you feel more connected." In addition, Ailey also makes sure to gather audiences' e-mail addresses during City Center intermissions.

Chicago is also seeing a huge upsurge. In the last two years, the Joffrey's ticket sales have virtually doubled, going from $531,000 (for a nine-performance run) in fall of 2004 to an unprecedented $1,040,000 for this year's Cinderella. Free outdoor activities and pop music are responsible for this success, says Jon Teeuwissen, executive director of the Joffrey. The company's 50th anniversary celebration this June included free outdoor yoga, tai-chi, lecture/demonstrations, and hugely successful programming--Twyla Tharp's Deuce Coupe and Donald Byrd's Motown Suite. "I think the pop music appealed to a demographic that doesn't ordinarily go to the ballet," says Teeuwissen. Over the course of the week of the 50th anniversary celebration at Chicago's Millenium Park, the attendance hit about 50,000 people, raising the company's visibility.

To fill seats, Hubbard Slxeet Dance Chicago targets specific "fertile" groups, says former executive director Gail Kalver. Performances are paired with social activities which appeal to that group: Women's groups network at a preshow dinner, young professionals mingle at a bar, and the gay community might join the dancers at a postperformance dance party. And, in November, HSDC opened a new dance center with more classes and outreach programs, hoping for an Ailey Extension effect.

The windy city has also recently hosted both ABT and New York City Ballet (after a 26-year hiatus), and is quickly becoming a city of premieres. "Having other world-class ballet companies come here has an overall effect of raising the bar for everybody," says Teeuwissen. "There is no better way for us to widen the exposure of the art form and develop a larger audience base."

Tulsa Ballet is becoming a force to be reckoned with and they've got the numbers to prove it. Over the past two years, they have had a 100 percent increase in individual ticket sales, a 20 percent increase in Nutcracker sales, and a 19 percent increase in subscriber package sales, according to Todd Cunningham, the company's director of marketing and PR. "We've made sure over the last two years that you can't turn around in Northeastern Oklahoma without seeing Tulsa Ballet," says Cunningham. "The relationships we have created with local media outlets have provided incredible exposure." The company opened their golden anniversary season with Carmina Burana followed by Celebrate Oklahoma!, a program devoted to the State of Oklahoma's centennial celebration which included Agnes de Mille's Rodeo.

Dance companies in Denver, San Francisco, and Miami are thriving, too. Colorado Ballet, which had been in a severe financial slump, has reported an impressive turnaround. This season, their attendance increased 21 percent, and their anticipated ticket sales for this year's Nutcracker were $1.79 million. ODC/Dance in San Francisco has had a 25 percent increase in ticket sales over the past two years. Last year, Miami City Ballet's ticket sales were affected by hurricanes, but their 2006 Program I sales were up by 45 percent.

All economies go through highs and lows, but the dance industry seems to be in a period of optimism and in great shape for 2007!