Ballet company could be in need of new home

OGDEN -- Imagine Ballet Theatre may be left imagining a new place to dance.

After six years of practice and performances in Peery's Egyptian Theater, 2415 Washington Blvd., the ballet's contract is ending, but the reason depends on who is asked.

SMG, the management company hired by Weber County, has consistently refused help from the Egyptian Theater Foundation, alienated former customers and devalued the arts, said Robert Peery King, a foundation board member and descendant of the theater's founders.

Marty Smith, general manager of the theater and SMG employee, said the relationship between Imagine Ballet and the theater has been strained at times, but the theater just can't provide the resources necessary for the ballet while maintaining its obligation to save taxpayer money.

Imagine Ballet was given notice in October that after its performances of "The Nutcracker" are done, it will need to find a new practice space, Smith said.

"IBT has an amazing product and we hope they will continue to contract with us for performances," he said. "We're very honored to have them in our theater."

Although Smith declined to go into detail about all the reasons the contract was not renewed, he said the company had been told the ballet needed more space to practice. That space was not available, so SMG told Imagine Ballet it would need to begin looking for a new practice space.

That isn't as easy as it sounds, said Raymond Van Mason, artistic director of IBT.

Imagine Ballet is a nonprofit, and finding an affordable space that meets the needs of the students is difficult, he said.

Van Mason said he is trying to create a preprofessional ballet company for Utah dancers, and being in the theater provides a professional edge and setting to motivate the students.

He said he loves the theater even though working with SMG has sometimes made it hard to get what he needs. Van Mason said working with SMG has been difficult during the two years it has managed the Egyptian.

Smith said the theater has subsidized the ballet company by tens of thousands of dollars during the time it has been there, through low rent.

"It's a very low, minimal rental charge to the point where we don't make any money on it. That's why it's gotten to the point it has now," Smith said. "It really does cost us, or at the very least we don't make any money, to provide the space and all the other things like heating, cooling and paying someone to be in the building."

King said in its efforts to save money, the company has made it nearly impossible for local groups to afford to rent the theater or the attached conference center, which SMG also manages.

Even the theater foundation has to meet somewhere else because SMG would charge them to use a room at the Egyptian for board meetings, he said.

The Junction, airport and city golf course are all subsidized to try to create a better city, King said, and he doesn't understand why the value of the programming at the Egyptian isn't recognized as valuable enough to the future of Ogden and Weber County to be financially supported.

"Does Ogden need what I'm doing? I think they do," Van Mason said.

He said preparing for "The Nutcracker" has been stressful under the cloud of uncertainty about IBT's future in the Egyptian.

"It's hard knowing there's a chance we could just disappear," he said, adding that he is exploring all options to remain open and in Ogden.

Van Mason said he does not want to exacerbate any problems, and hopes the groups can work out a compromise so the dancers can continue to practice and perform at the theater.

"They've worked so hard, I don't want any of this to overshadow them," he said.

Weber Commission Chairman Craig Dearden, who is involved with Peery's Egyptian Theater, was out of town and unavailable for comment.

Commissioner Jan Zogmaister said Dearden is aware of the ongoing problems and the county has been trying to resolve some of the issues.

"From our side, we've been straining to meet the needs of the individuals leasing there," she said. "It was in the best interest of both parties to terminate."

Although Smith said the contract was simply not renewed for the next year, Van Mason said the contract for the rehearsal space goes through May and was terminated early.

The Imagine Ballet Theatre Foundation released a statement that said they are appreciative of community support, proud to call Ogden home, grateful to rehearse and perform in the Egyptian and will continue to present outstanding performances.