Art Chowder January | February, Issue 19 | Page 38

Spokane’s
PROFESSIONAL
BALLET COMPANY
AND ITS DARK SHINING STAR
By Melville Holmes
“I n 1982 the Board of Directors of the Spokane Ballet
determined that the future of dance in Spokane demanded that a
full-time company of dancers be placed under contract.”
The endeavor began when a local ballet school, under the name
Heritage Dance, performed Swan Lake at Spokane’s Opera
House using students and a few guest artists. Soon after, the
company changed its name to Spokane Ballet, and Terrence
Grizzell, a Spokane native who had danced professionally in
the US and abroad, took on the role of artistic director with
a view to establishing a civic ballet company. But after two
seasons’ worth of well-received performances at Whitworth
College, reality set in. Attaining a high level of artistic quality
using dancers on an amateur basis would not be possible.
Preparation for performances – the whole point of the
enterprise – requires many hours of daily workouts and group
rehearsals to assure limber bodies, creative variety and perfect
coordination. Performers must also be available to go on tour
to establish broad name recognition and economic viability.
Simple logic dictated that the part-time, civic ballet model had
to be abandoned in favor of a full-time, professional ballet
organization, if it was to move forward.
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ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE