Ballet has been around since the 15th century, and this weekend, the local ballet theatre will dance in the streets to keep the tradition in Baton Rouge.
The Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre will host its annual “Dancin’ in the Streets” fundraiser on Saturday. The block party is Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre’s biggest fundraiser of the year, featuring live music, food and dancing at Perkins Rowe to help keep the company up and running.
The event shuts down the street in front of the theater at Perkins Rowe. Local band Phat Hat will be performing, and food and drinks will be provided from some of the Perkins Rowe vendors, such as California Pizza Kitchen, Kona Grill and VooDoo BBQ and Grill.
Christy Benoit, director of development and communications at the Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre, said it’s the most fun event of the year.
“Once you get in, it’s all you can eat and drink,” Benoit said. “We have a lot of fun activities happening, including a silent auction, which is new this year, and raffle drawings for grand prizes.”
These grand prizes include a hot air balloon ride, a $500 gift card usable at all Perkins Rowe shops and an LSU Tiger Marching Band gameday experience, where the winner will join the band as they walk down Victory Hill and perform before an LSU home football game. There also will be a ring toss game in which participants can win bottles of wine.
The block party also serves as a chance for people who aren’t familiar with the Ballet Theatre to get to know more about it in a comfortable and casual setting.
Though the event includes many entertaining elements, all the festivities aren’t simply to have a good time. Benoit said it’s important to remember the good cause of keeping one of the oldest art forms ever in Baton Rouge.
“This event is fun, but it’s also a way for people to get involved, give back and support the ballet with their money and their time,” Benoit said.
The proceeds from this fundraiser support the Ballet Theatre’s programming all year long. Not only does the funding help produce the ballet shows at the River Center, it also goes toward community outreach programs and dance
education classes.
It can be a struggle to cover all of the expenses of the Ballet Theatre, Benoit said, as ticket sales from the shows take care of less than half of them.
“Ticket sales usually only cover about 40 percent of our expenses for the whole season, so we rely a lot on the generosity of our patrons and donors and events like this,” Benoit said.
Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre artistic director Molly Buchmann said she likes to refer to this event as a “funraiser” instead of a fundraiser because participants are raising money for a good cause by showing up, drinking, dancing and enjoying themselves.
“With Phat Hat, even people who don’t like to dance will want to dance,” Buchmann said. “Where can you have this much fun for $35?”
Buchmann said she believes having a ballet company in Baton Rouge is essential to the city’s well-being. Because it’s a smaller city, it’s much harder to keep the ballet going, which is why she encourages everyone to come out and give their support.
“A great city needs a lot of great things,” Buchmann said. “Great restaurants, great sports and certainly great art. Ballet is a centuries-old art form, and we need a great ballet company.”
“Dancin’ in the Streets” takes place from 7-10 p.m. at the Perkins Rowe Great Hall. Tickets are $35 in advance and $45 at the door.
You can reach Kayla Randall on Twitter @kay_ran21.
Phat Hat performs at the 4th annual Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre block party"Dancin' in the Streets."
