Ballet On The Brink

Dance has not fared particularly well in Northern Ohio in recent years. The old Cleveland/San Jose Ballet folded back in 2000, and this season, the Ohio Ballet, which performs in Cleveland and Akron, canceled many of its winter performances and laid off all but two full-time staffers. Now, the ballet has 60 days to determine whether it has the resources to rehire its dancers for April performances. More importantly, the company is attempting to assess whether there is really enough support in the area to sustain a resident ballet in the long term.