El Paso To Have Permanent, Professional Ballet
When it comes to the arts, El Paso offers museums, theater, the symphony and the opera. But if residents wanted to catch the ballet, they had to wait for a traveling performance or catch one performed by dance students at the University of Texas-El Paso.
Not anymore.
The El Paso City Ballet has been in existence since last June, transforming from the occasionally performing Ballet Solaris into a permanent company employing professional dancers. The company’s artistic director, Lisa Skaf, said the board of directors wanted to contribute to an improved quality of life in the city.
“If we’re going to define ourselves as a culturally sophisticated city, we really need to have a ballet company, a professional ballet company,” Skaf said.
Thursday night, the dancers met up at the El Paso Conservatory of Dance in the Upper Valley to practice for their inaugural performance Friday. Skaf told ABC-7 they are bringing professional dancers from across the country here to El Paso to perform, and they’re encouraging dancers who’ve left El Paso to pursue their dreams to return.
Christine Howard fits into that category. The El Pasoan ended up working for a dance company in New York. Now she’s back home, preparing to perform in the Hispanic Heritage Gala Fundraiser for the El Paso City Ballet tonight.
“I’m really glad that (ballet) is coming back to El Paso,” said Howard. “I’m glad the professionalism and the art in general is being pursued here.”
The El Paso City Ballet is a nonprofit group that depends on donations to support itself.
The gala fundraiser is being held at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino starting at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available by calling 204-0482 or 637-3704. Tickets won’t be available at the door because it is a dinner event.
