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Toledo Ballet

About

Our Story

Toledo Ballet was founded in 1939 by Marie Bollinger Vogt. A native of Toledo, Vogt taught dance at an early age at the Bach Conservatory in Toledo and studied at George Balanchine’s School of American Ballet, the premier ballet academy in the nation, bringing back to the region the forefront of dance instruction and choreography, including classical Greek, classical Spanish, and Flamenco dance, in addition to classical and contemporary ballet.

In 1941, only two years after the founding of Toledo Ballet, the first production of The Nutcracker in the United States took place in Toledo, Ohio, complete with live orchestral accompaniment by the Friends of Music, a precursor to the Toledo Symphony. Though only an abridgement of the score was permitted out of Russia at the end of the Great Depression and the onset of World War II, more and more of the score would be released over time, and Toledo Ballet continued to grow the production. To this day, Toledo Ballet holds the record for the longest, consecutive-running production of The Nutcracker in the nation, perpetuating a beloved holiday tradition that has become synonymous with Christmas.

In 1958, a group of citizens interested in supporting Toledo Ballet’s mission to present quality dance education and performances in the region founded the Toledo Ballet Association, and in 1963, the association was officially incorporated as a non-profit organization. After a 55-year career as Artistic Director of Toledo Ballet, Marie Vogt stepped down in 1995. Nigel Burgoine succeeded Vogt and served as Artistic Director of Toledo Ballet from 1995-2005. Under his direction, Toledo Ballet co-presented visiting, internationally touring dance companies in collaboration with the Valentine Theatre. Starting in 1998, Open Door to Dance was presented in Northwest Ohio schools. In 1999, First Steps, a dance education program for kindergarteners linking dance and literature was presented in area Title I-funded schools. 

In 2007, Toledo Ballet moved to the expanded studio space at Franklin Park Mall and alumna Lisa Mayer-Lang was appointed School Director. During this time, Toledo Ballet premiered nine original productions featuring choreography by faculty member Michael Lang. In 2014, Lisa Mayer-Lang was named Artistic Director of Toledo Ballet and she served in this role until 2022.

Following a decades-long collaboration on various productions, most notably The Nutcracker, Toledo Ballet and Toledo Symphony realized more synergies in marketing and ticketing operations in 2017, setting the stage for increased collaborations. On January 1, 2019, Toledo Ballet and Toledo Symphony officially merged to form the Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA), a new non-profit organization dedicated to providing exceptional live music and dance performances and education for the region. This partnership is one of only a few in the nation and promises to create new and invigorating programs, provide cost and revenue synergies in operations, and integrate the arts through shared educational missions.

In 2022, professional dancer, educator, and choreographer Eric Otto was appointed as Toledo Ballet’s Artistic Director & Head of Curriculum.

What We Believe

  • We believe that dance is for everybody.  
  • We support the advancement of all dancers to achieve their dreams. 
  • We believe in providing the highest level of dance education available.  
  • We believe in the consistency of high-level training and the importance of having continuity of instructors and curriculum.  
  • We believe in Toledo Ballet faculty and will support them with opportunities to advance their training. 
  • The safety and well-being of all students is our top priority. We will provide a safe environment for dancers to progress through the ABT (American Ballet Theatre) Curriculum which includes training for students “to use their bodies correctly by focusing on kinetics, coordination, anatomy, and proper body alignment.” 
  • We believe in providing Toledo Ballet students access to the world’s finest dancers, choreographers, and instructors through-out the academic year in addition to creating rewarding Summer Intensive programs for all levels.  
  • We will continue to present the longest running annual production of The Nutcracker in North America.  
  • We believe in a fully integrated curriculum of dance and music, providing opportunities for learning, collaborating, creating, and performing across our education programs including Toledo Ballet, Toledo Symphony School of Music, and the Toledo Symphony Youth Orchestras.  
  • We reaffirm our commitment to provide greater accessibility to all genres of dance and music, dismantling barriers for underserved populations to experience the power of dance and music.  
  • We believe that Toledo Ballet students deserve performance opportunities that include live music and will continue to stage productions with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra.

Vision

We inspire our region to come together through the performing arts.

Mission

To inspire the passions and spirit of our community through dance.

Values

Collaboration.

We believe that our organization can model the power of creative, thoughtful, and innovative collaboration. We strive to establish meaningful partnerships with individuals and organizations that fundamentally impact the life of our region.

Community.

We take pride in being the region’s leading performing arts organization. To serve as many of our neighbors as possible, we take advantage of our mobility and flexibility in order to share our art.

Empowerment.

We empower all in our region who are inspired to experience the performing arts, providing guidance, learning, and resource. We empower all members of our organization to reach their fullest potential.

Excellence.

We recognize that all performing arts experiences demand the investment of time—the most valuable and finite of resources. We strive to create the highest quality artistic moments that reward the investment of creators and participants alike.

Sustainability.

We realize the inherent value that the performing arts create in the cultural life of our region. We take pride in being responsible stewards of our art forms, and of the people, resources, and organizations that maintain them, ensuring that they survive and thrive for future generations.