03/07/2026
I have struggled, through the years to find creative ways to educate others about the value of attending our ballet performances. The Nativity Ballet and our school recitals always have full houses. Partly because we are telling a story and another reason is people show up for the littles.
And then we have the dancers in our company division, and our newly formed professional division, Corpo. These dancers were once little too, and they have poured themselves into the art and craft of classical ballet. This usually means they have also studied contemporary, modern, and other genres of dance.
Most of you don't need to be told that they give almost all of their free time to be part of a community where their artistic gifts are nurtured. All year long, besides their academic and work life, they come to the studio in the evenings and on weekends to take classes and prepare to perform. This is what I want to talk about.
Many people mistakenly believe that performing is about showing off. A true artist actually pours themselves out to those who have given their time and money to be present in the audience. In dance, it is often a very intimate and passionate way of giving. It is the embodiment of music and expression that can accomplish many things. Healing, humor, wrestling with hard things in life, beauty, joy, love, and redemption, just to name a few.
A dance performance often leads us to a place we didn't know we needed to go. We believe the value and worth of this extends way beyond the cost of a ticket. We take on the risk to offer these performances to our audiences because our ultimate goal is to inspire, entertain, and move YOU! Risk is the correct word, as the cost of producing a performance is between $6-10K.
At Metropolitan Ballet of Tacoma, we work incredibly hard to bring performances to you that are interesting, diverse, beautiful, powerfully moving, humorous, and in general, a celebration of movement. We thank you for attending for the littles, and for our free Nativity Ballet. We ask you to also attend and support the ones you might never have shown up for.
In light of the recent remarks by Timothee Chalamet, I felt moved to write about this. It saddens me that an actor would denigrate fellow artists, and I found it arrogant that he would say that he lost 14 cents worth in viewers. I was inspired by the Seattle Opera's post to offer a 14% discount off tickets. I am following their lead.
Please help us fill our seats for both Think Pink! (March 27,28)
And Corpo Season 3 (June 26,27). These are the performances we struggle to fill. But we guarantee that once you come, you will return for more.
Use code: Timothee at check out for 14% off unlimited tickets for the next week.
Links for ticket are in the comments.
We are grateful to our amazing dancers, families and supporters who show up and help ensure Metropolitan Ballet of Tacoma and Corpo continue to be a vital part of our local Tacoma art scene.
