Greetings and good wishes for health and safety to all of you in this difficult time. For the safety of our community, dancers, staff and other team members we are cancelling the rest of our season, which includes The Sleeping Beauty and Ballet Under the Stars*. This was a heart-breaking decision, but have no fear – Ballet Quad Cities is made up of people that are resilient, passionate and full of grit! The artistic staff is still hard at work teaching classes through zoom, planning for next season and impacting students throughout the Quad Cities online with YouTube activities to enhance reading, music and gym curricula.

We may not be out there on Quad City stages, but we are still behind the scenes (and at proper social distance!) creating new ways to connect with you through dance. Stand by to hear more from us electronically as we create ‘virtually!’  I will turn the microphone over to our staff and artists in the days to follow to share their stories.

Of course, through all of these strange and difficult times, we, more than ever, need your support. There is a misconception about all of the money that has been released in our country. It is difficult for a medium sized performing arts organization to even apply for assistance. We have applied for the second round of Payment Protection Plan (PPP) Funds and for a small grant from the City of Rock Island.  However, there is no guarantee that we will be fortunate enough to receive the money.

Please consider making a contribution of any size to help sustain this region’s only professional ballet company.  Donations of any size add up, and with no contingency budget for the kind of emergency we are facing, your gift goes directly to support the artists and staff of Ballet Quad Cities. If you are someone fortunate enough to see your stimulus check as more than a life necessity, this is a great time to look at the non-profit organizations that you love and who need your support. We hope we fall into that category!

To those of you who are long term supporters, Thank you! To those and to all of our new friends out there, we look forward to staying in ‘touch,’ even at an appropriate social distance!