Southwest Virginia Community College’s Department of Dance and The Bristol Ballet announce a new agreement to expand art in the community through collaboration and outreach. The Bristol Ballet will be the exclusive private dance company partner of the college.
The first performances the Ballet will present under this agreement will be The Nutcracker on Saturday, December 3, 2022 at the King Community Center. The show begins at 7:00 p.m.
“We are excited to partner with The Bristol Ballet. This is relationship is just in the infancy stages, but there are many things we can accomplish together that will ultimately provide great opportunities for our students,” said Dr. Tommy Wright, President at Southwest.
Students will benefit from the partnership with The Bristol Ballet through high-quality dance performances being brought to the college on a regular basis. Another goal of the agreement is for students and community members to attend events and gain an excitement for the arts.
“I grew up at Bristol Ballet and started dancing there at 8-years old,” said Cameron Roberts, a student at Southwest. “I’m excited to see where this goes and the performances that come along.”
“This is going to be an excellent asset for our arts program and our community, said Olivia Ratliff, Dance Program Instructor at Southwest. “Having a full-length performance of The Nutcracker by a pre-professional company to educate our audiences and community in the art of dance is incredible.”
“The School of the Arts at the College continues to grow in community engagement and our credit programs of dance, culinary, theatre, and visual arts,” said Morgan Gilbert, Director, School of the Arts at Southwest.
For more information about the art programs at Southwest, visit sw.edu/art.
Established in 1948 by the late Constance Hardinge, Bristol Ballet’s mission is to educate students and the general public about dance as an art form through education about dance, including quality, technique, artistry, production, and awareness of other art forms.
For more information about The Bristol Ballet, visit bristolballet.org.