Orlando Ballet invites applications and nominations for this important co-leadership position, working closely with Artistic Director Robert Hill. Orlando Ballet has seen significant growth, both artistically and operationally, over the past several seasons including the opening of Harriett’s Orlando Ballet Centre, a beautiful, new, state-of-the-art facility.
The next Executive Director, working collaboratively with the Artistic Director, the staff, and the board, will help craft a future vision for Orlando Ballet while ensuring financial stability and operational excellence. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the chosen candidate will have a strong passion for building a great cultural institution that can grow significantly with the community as well as demonstrated success in personally securing philanthropic support in a not-for-profit arts environment.
Orlando Ballet has engaged Management Consultants for the Arts to lead this search, and interested candidates may apply for this position by visiting this link: https://mcaonline.com/searches/executive-director-orlando-ballet-florida
Orlando Ballet was founded in 1974 with twelve young dancers, four thousand dollars, and a dream to entertain, educate and enrich lives through the highest quality of dance. Since that time, the company has emerged as one of Central Florida’s most important arts organizations, performing for audiences of more than 100,000 annually. Under the artistic leadership of Robert Hill and featuring a company of 21 dancers and apprentices as well as a second company of 10 dancers, Orlando Ballet now performs a full, five-program season of classical masterpieces, contemporary repertoire, and an annual engagement of The Nutcracker. For the 2020/2021 season, performances are scheduled to take place at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Orlando, as well as at Harriett’s Orlando Ballet Centre, the company’s newly opened, state-of-the-art facility in Loch Haven Park.
In 1982, the company created the Orlando Ballet School to enrich the lives of children, train the next generation of artists and build future audiences. The school, now under the direction of Phillip Broomhead, has grown into one of the most respected ballet schools in the country. The school provides year-round professional ballet training for over 500 students, as well as performance opportunities, summer intensive training, workshops and master classes, and teacher training programs. Graduates of Orlando Ballet School have pursued professional careers with major dance institutions including American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Hamburg Ballet, Houston Ballet, and Paul Taylor Dance Company.
Much information on Orlando Ballet may be found on their website: http://www.orlandoballet.org.
ORLANDO AND CENTRAL FLORIDA COMMUNITY
Orlando is the center of the 4-county Central Florida metropolitan area comprising over 2.6 million residents. The region is undergoing a fundamental transition from a tourist destination to a thriving business community, driven by significant development in the technology and healthcare sectors. In 2015, Orlando was ranked #1 in the United States for job growth by the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics and has been consistently ranked among the Top 10 American Cities of the Future by the Financial Times. Orlando hosts over 75 million visitors every year, but even more notable are the 5,000 people who move to the region every month. Useful information on the community can be found on the following sites: http://orlandorelocationmagazine.com/ and https://www.orlandoedc.com/home.aspx
LEADERSHIP
Robert Hill, Artistic Director
Appointed as Artistic Director in 2008, Robert Hill has a vision for the company that makes ballet relevant to today’s audiences. Hill blends modern entertainment with classical ballet, and his choreography has been critically acclaimed as “…energetic, graceful and theatrically beautiful.” Under his direction, artistic collaborations have developed with other organizations such as Central Florida Community Arts, Opera Orlando, Garden Theatre, Creative City Project, The Abbey, The Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, and Cirque du Soleil.
Mr. Hill was a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, the Royal Ballet, and New York City Ballet before becoming artistic director of Mexico’s Ballet de Monterrey. As a guest artist, he has appeared with numerous companies including the Scottish Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and the Australian Ballet. Mr. Hill’s interpretation of the title role in John Cranko’s Onegin, opposite Julie Kent as Tatiana and presented at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center by ABT, was selected by the New York Times as one of the “Ten Best Moments in Dance” in 2002.
Board of Directors
Orlando Ballet is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of 20 business and community leaders and has been entirely reconstituted under new leadership over the past 3 years. Having stabilized the organization’s finances by building balance sheet cash and through new banking relationships, the Board is now comprised of representatives of key partners including Disney, PNC Bank, Massey Services, Orlando Health, Orange County and City of Orlando. The Board President is Jonathan Ledden, who is also chairing the committee for the executive director search.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Orlando Ballet has seen significant growth, both artistically and operationally, over the past several seasons. Although the COVID-19 crisis forced the cancellation of the last two programs of the 2019/2020 season, the company has already announced plans for 2020/2021. The next Executive Director will have the opportunity to significantly impact the company in the following areas:
Harriett’s Orlando Ballet Centre – a New Facility in Loch Haven Park
In 2013, the discovery of a mold infestation in the company’s facilities forced a relocation (to separate sites) of the company’s studios as well as the central campus of the school and its administrative offices. The organization was finally reunited in January 2020 with the opening of Harriett’s Orlando Ballet Centre, a beautiful, new, state-of-the-art facility. The City of Orlando provided space in Loch Haven Park, which is also home to other Orlando cultural institutions including the Orlando Science Center and the Orlando Museum of Art. Major support for the construction of the new building came from the estate of Harriett Lake, an Orlando philanthropist, as well as through the area’s Tourism Development Tax, which allowed Orlando Ballet to complete the facility debt-free.
The facility features seven studios housing the school and the professional company as well as support spaces and the company’s administrative offices. The facility includes two studios that can be combined to create a 350-seat performance space. In the short time Harriett’s Orlando Ballet Centre has been open, it has already become a desirable rental space, an earned-revenue opportunity that is only expected to grow over time.
Artistic Programs and Long-Range Planning
A history of financial difficulties at Orlando Ballet resulted in a turnaround plan in 2017 for stabilization that has served the company well. Much has already been accomplished and the current long-range plan will take the company through the 2021/2022 season. The next Executive Director, working collaboratively with the Artistic Director, the staff, and the board, will help craft a future vision for Orlando Ballet by leading the next planning process.
The 2020/2021 season is scheduled to include the world premiere of Robert Hill’s Sleeping Beauty as well as performances of Jorden Morris’ Moulin Rouge – The Ballet and Peter Pan. Each of these programs, as well as the company’s engagement of The Nutcracker are planned for the Dr. Phillips Center. The Premiere Collection, a mixed repertoire evening featuring works by Val Caniparoli, Jessica Lang, and Robert Hill (originally scheduled as part of the 2019/2020 season), will be performed in the new theatre at Harriett’s Orlando Ballet Centre.
The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
Since its opening in 2014, the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts has become the premier showcase for arts and culture in Central Florida. Phase I included the opening of Walt Disney Theater, a 2800-seat hall, as well as Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater which seats nearly 300. Phase 2, scheduled to be completed soon, will feature the opening of Steinmetz Hall, a 1700-seat venue.
Expansion of the Orlando Ballet School
Already recognized for the excellence of its pre-professional training, the company is expanding the offerings of the Orlando Ballet School to embrace a variety of styles appealing to all skill and age levels. The school aspires to be the premiere dance educator in Orlando for children and adults alike, while at the same time preserving its place among professional training academies in the United States.
Commitment to the Community
Orlando Ballet has a rich history of engagement with its community. Every second-grade student in the Orange County Public Schools system (the 9th largest in the United States with over 270,000 students) attends an Orlando Ballet performance. Third, fourth and fifth graders are also exposed to the ballet through collaborative performances between the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Orlando Ballet and Opera Orlando. Additionally, local students have the opportunity to train free-of-charge at the Orlando Ballet School through the STEPS program, and in 2016 created Come Dance with Us, a program created in association with Nemours Children’s Hospital and Orlando Health for young people with special needs. (http://abcnews.go.com/US/workshop-special-children-chance-dance-real-life-ballerinas/story?id=52472287)
Position and Responsibilities
The Executive Director works in a co-CEO relationship with the Artistic Director with both positions reporting to the Board through the President. It is, of course, critically important that the individuals in these two positions work in a cohesive and productive manner. The central roles of the Executive Director are as follows:
- Partner with the Artistic Director to develop, articulate and execute long-range planning objectives.
- Effectively lead and grow the Development, Administration, Finance, Marketing, Outreach and School Business Management teams. Manage and motivate the team and set the tone for a positive working environment.
- Forge and maintain important external relationships in the Greater Orlando community and act as an external voice and advocate of Orlando Ballet.
- Serve as the primary major gifts officer, leading Orlando Ballet’s fundraising activities in a strategic and hands on manner, developing relationships throughout the Greater Orlando region, expanding annual contributed revenues and raising capital funds.
- Assure ongoing fiscal discipline by creating and achieving balanced annual operating budgets for Orlando Ballet in accordance with the long-range plan.
- Forge a strong relationship with and work actively to continue to build Orlando Ballet’s Board of Directors.
- Lead the organization’s efforts to maximize use and revenue from the company’s new home at Harriett’s Orlando Ballet Centre as well as provide management insight and direction in order to achieve artistic programming goals.
- Align all human and financial resources in a way that can sustainably realize the strategic and artistic vision for the company.
- Expand on successful communication strategies and guide the marketing, external messaging, and outreach of Orlando Ballet.
- Supervise the administrative operations and programmatic growth of the Orlando Ballet School.
Qualifications
The chosen candidate will be someone who is likely to establish strong and productive working partnerships with the Artistic Director and the Board; of course, prior experience with such partnerships would be deemed useful. They will also have the following skill sets and experience:
- Strong passion for building a great cultural institution that can grow significantly with the community.
- Demonstrated success in personally securing philanthropic support in a not-for-profit arts environment.
- Detail oriented and methodical about organizational routines and processes.
- A successful management career within the professional performing arts. Dance experience is not required but must have demonstrated enthusiasm for arts and culture.
- A clear knowledge of the ramifications of artistic and budgetary decisions and the need to align them strategically.
- Demonstrated ability to motivate and lead a team focused on long-term objectives.
- A collaborative, non-political style to work within a partnership and engage staff, Board, and key donors.
- A tenacity and drive to help Orlando Ballet continue to produce at a consistently high level.
- Strong social and interpersonal skills in multiple social and business contexts.
Compensation, Application Procedure, and Start Date
The search for the Executive Director is headed by a committee consisting of trustees and chaired by Jonathan Ledden, President of the Board. The committee’s desire is to identify a candidate by mid to late Summer 2020, with the new Executive Director on site as soon as possible thereafter. The salary will be competitive with other companies of comparable stature and size with benefits including health, dental, vision, and life insurance policies as well as paid vacation/holidays.
Orlando Ballet has engaged Management Consultants for the Arts to facilitate this search; Jason Palmquist and David Mallette are the consultants leading the process. Interested and qualified candidates are encouraged to submit in complete confidence a cover letter, resumé, and four professional references to the consulting firm retained to conduct the search. The cover letter of no more than 1½ pages should describe why this post and organization is attractive to the applicant and what about them and their work makes them a potentially strong contributor as a leader of Orlando Ballet. Application materials should have the applicant’s name included as part of each file name (in Word or .pdf format) and must be submitted electronically through the following link:
https://mcaonline.com/searches/executive-director-orlando-ballet-florida
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