 European
Ballet Forum
Hosted by: The Hungarian National Ballet Company
Date: 24 July, 2011
Hungarian State Opera Budapest
Overview and Mission
There is no denying that the European
Union and its member states join the rest of the world as it
faces challenges posed by the unprecedented current economic
climate. To date, the European tradition of promulgating their
cultures through the performing arts has been a long respected
tradition in all sectors, its future seemingly assured. With the
full impact of the crisis yet to fully manifest, European
Artistic Directors are all too aware how the financial stresses
of their respective governments might inevitably challenge their
individual capacity to navigate the coming storm.
An ability to presage the upcoming seasons is a requisite skill
for every seasoned Artistic Director. And, for those who are
used to performing full seasons with popular yet expensive full
storied ballets, budgetary impact on Opera Houses calls for
serious planning many seasons ahead of time. An artistic
director, once charged with the technical integrity and
direction of a company, has had to develop a fine sense of
accounting acumen in recent years. Now, that acumen includes
being able to properly assess business and financial trends… and
being able to do so responsibly.
 In an effort to avoid those consequences now felt in the USA
which have manifested in multi-fold closures and drastic
reductions in staff and performance schedules, European
companies have begun a dialogue amongst their Opera Houses and
umbrella organizations such as Opera Europa about courses of
action. The collective sense is that the time is now to think
out of the box. Although some ignore the signs of danger, others
regard this a time to be recalled as the calm before the storm.
The arts, everyone knows, is the first sacrificial lamb in bad
economic times. These are bad economic times, reckon industry
experts.
“Recent months have reflected an unmistakable downturn: tours
being cancelled or postponed, smaller or less expensive
productions for the next season, cheaper tickets selling more
quickly than higher priced ones, and reluctance of sponsors to
renew or sign contracts. All of this has its repercussions and
forms a serious threat….” reports FIM, FIA and Euro-Mei in a
joint prepared statement before the 2009 Employment Summit to
policy makers in Brussels. Theirs was an urgent appeal to the
European Union for immediate help in the performing arts
industry.
There are disturbing signs that once the arts programs are cut
there may be little hope of returning to an adequate budget
previously enjoyed yet required to sustain the quality and scope
of ballet and opera companies. These famous companies have not
only thrived through world wars and more than a century of
uninterrupted growth but have counted on their heritage to
provide impetus for funding. Given the financial collapse of
whole countries, pride and tradition may not be enough steam to
fuel some institutions to the coming fiscal year, much less the
next one hundred. Action is required.
More nimble than the larger organizations whose memberships
number over 100 countries like Opera Europa, are the immediate
friends and neighbors of clusters of countries who not only have
a shared history but a similar grasp of prevalent issues.
With this in mind, the Artistic Director of the Hungarian
National Ballet Company began a roundtable discussion in the
summer of 2009 in order to invite the input and the kind of
reasonable mutual cooperation that might prove an invaluable
life raft in a time of financial challenge. In 2010, the topic
of discussion moved from the general idea of cooperation to
specific ones. 12 decision makers became involved in animated
discussions about the possibilities required to offset the
shortfalls that can make or break a premier or production that
is labor intensive. In addition, with a new model of symbiosis,
ballet companies may not only survive the coming times but
thrive.
The idea is not to beg for more money or to whine about the
plight of the arts. The idea is to come up with concrete,
realizable goals that might successfully address the financial
shortfalls and do what can be done to help ensure that talent
remains intact and in place, that the artistic values are not
diminished nor the hard earned reputations of great ballet
companies be compromised in these difficult times.
“No ballet company can develop or even keep up quality
unless new challenges are present. A vibrant company must
maintain the esprit de corps, the stamina working and keep the
dancer’s learning skills sharp. Premiers that introduce new
blood into our repertory keep a company alive and striving every
way you look at it. These new styles and tasks require special
effort and are a must” comments Gábor Keveházi “if you
aim at educating new audiences or simply wish to cultivate the
existing fans of your form of art. Every art form has to satisfy
the public’s curiosity and introduce new ‘tastes’ to your ‘menu’
on a regular basis. However, financing new productions means a
growing strain and ballet directors are drawn to employ new
strategies in their fight to be able to move on."
Artistic Directors who involve themselves in the upcoming EBF
roundtable in Budapest in July, 2011 will have the opportunity
to collectively seek and write funding from sources hereto
unexplored or untried as a collective group who, at the end of
the day, will mutually benefit. “We anticipate more inroads
into a 21st century approach to doing our part in not simply
making financially prudent decisions but also pursuing ways in
which we can help make our respective Opera Houses profitable.”
Through the newly established European Ballet Forum, “we are
able to make the kind of agile and flexible decisions that
ordinarily take a lot of time through other channels“
summarizes Keveházi.
With an eye towards new works and an exchange amongst some of
Europe’s finest artistic directors, the initial steps in an EBF
strategy that benefits European ballet in new and imaginative
ways will continue in 2011. All ideas are heard, all are
welcomed.
For the
photo gallery of 2010 EBF see >>
For the declaration signed by 2010 EBF
participants see >>
For a description of last year’s EBF
please see >>
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