Board of Directors 2010

Maureen Allen-President
BG Pennyway-Vice President
Angela Chang-Treasurer
Jean Orr-Secretary
Mary-Lou Brien
Betty Kovacs
Sheila Smith
Jane Welsh
Kara Nolte

Staff:
Kelsey Jorssen - Office Administrator
Maureen Riches - Dance International Managing Editor
Brenda Finamore - Dance International Art Director
Margaret Jeteliner - Dance International Contributing Editor

Vancouver Ballet Society
Scotiabank Dance Centre
Level 6 - 677 Davie Street
Vancouver, BC
Canada V6B 2G6
Telephone 604-681-1525
Facsimile 604-681-7732

History and Mission
The Vancouver Ballet Society is a unique, non-profit organization committed to supporting and revitalizing dance through education, encouragement and assistance. Founded in 1946 the VBS continues to be a group of dedicated dance lovers incorporated to encourage the continuation of and instruction in the art of dance. The Society has been the only ‘umbrella’ dance organization in continuous operation in this province for over 60 years.

Our primary mission is finding the means to continue and increase our scholarship fund so that young, talented British Columbians can be encouraged to continue their studies in what is an increasingly costly discipline, thus insuring that B.C. will continue to enjoy the sight of home-grown dancers on our own and international stages.

The Vancouver Ballet Society offers dance students exclusive Master Classes with some of Canada’s most prominent artists and companies, as well as a week long intensive workshop known as Spring Seminar, and scholarship funds. The Society also houses an extensive archive collection with pieces dating back to 1912. The Vancouver Ballet Society also publishes the acclaimed Dance International Magazine, which is distributed world wide!

Phone: 604-681-1525

Email: vbs@telus.net

It was another rewarding, progressive but challenging year for the Vancouver Ballet Society.

We started the year with a well-attended fund-raising tea in celebration of Jean Orr's 80th birthday (in conjunction with the Dance Centre). Jean has been such an important part of the VBS for so many years, that it was a pleasure to honour her in this way.

As usual the first three months of the year were taken up with the annual Spring Seminar. And what a wonderful occasion it was. The teachers Stephanie Saland, former principal dancer with The New York City Ballet and free-lance contemporary ballet choreographer Peter Quantz were outstanding as teachers, and feedback from the 60 participating students was excellent. $16,500 in scholarships, some from direct donations and some from fund-raising efforts by the Society, were awarded to 19 students. My sincere thanks to Shelia Smith, our Spring Seminar Chair, who so ably organized the Seminar and who at the end of the session was already planning for 2011. Thanks also to Board members who helped along the way and provided lunches to the teachers and volunteers each day.

We experienced sad news this year, as we lost a beloved and long-standing Board member, Ken Long who died unexpectedly in July. Ken who was a calm and common sense influence on the Board has been greatly missed at our Board meetings and various activities.

Our financial situation continued to be difficult. But due to more fund-raising and some creative though not always pleasant cost-cutting measures, we were able to reduce our deficit from $42,000 to about $24,000. We produced Tutus and Tarts, a well-received cookbook of recipes from dancers and dance lovers around the world. As a result of a positive article by Kevin Griffin in the Vancouver Sun newspaper and marketing to our members, we sold 240 copies resulting in a profit of almost $3,800. We also raised some money selling ballet-themed merchandise at Ballet BC performances during the year and we are most grateful for their generosity in allowing us to be present at their performances. We also held another successful garage sale. To add to our financial problems, we were disappointed to learn in August 2010 that we received only $2,500 of the $16,000 BC Gaming Grant that we requested.
As a result, in order to cut administrative costs, we were forced to cut our administrative staff hours from three days to two days a week. This action resulted in Board members volunteering more often (though not always as efficiently) in the office.
For the first time in its history, Dance International faced serious financial challenges in 2010. With the loss of provincial gaming funding and less money from Canada Council for 2011 (despite its rave reviews for the magazine), this beautiful magazine is struggling to survive. Our valiant Managing Editor, Maureen Riches is vastly underpaid and we would be hard pressed to replace her at her salary if she chose to leave. This world-renowned magazine compares most favourably with the few other dance magazines that exist today and it is the only dance magazine of its type in Canada.

As we ended 2010, plans for Spring Seminar 2011 were well in hand, with our Honorary President Evelyn Hart committed to teaching the ballet classes and Justin Peck, to teaching the contemporary dance c lasses.

2011 will be a special year, as VBS celebrates its 65th anniversary and plans have already started to celebrate this great occasion with a very special event on September 30, 2011.

I cannot end this report without a special thank-you to our hard-working Board members and to all the renewing members who continue to support us, and the new members who decided to join us this year. Without your support, the Society and its valuable work would not exist. A special thanks also to all the parents and other people who unconditionally support dance students with transportation to lessons, financial help and encouragement in their goals to enjoy and learn dance in various ways.

Please note that this report covers the Society's activities for 2010, but the Spring Seminar information and photos that follow in the newsletter, refer to the Spring Seminar of 2011.

Maureen Allen,
President