Leigh Purtill Ballet Company Celebrates Five Year Anniversary With Tremendous Growth

Leigh Purtill Ballet Company, the only non-profit, amateur ballet company for adults in the greater Los Angeles area, is celebrating its five-year anniversary in 2022. To demonstrate this achievement, LPBC unveiled its special five-year anniversary logo as it reflects on tremendous growth over half of a decade.

LPBC consists of dancers from all over the U.S. and Canada and continuously works to break the mold of traditional storytelling, even as it retains its roots in classical ballet technique. The company will perform two original, full-length ballets this year.

“Hotel at the End of The Universe,” an original ballet about a time traveling hotel, debuted in June 2019 and returns to the stage this summer. Ticket information will be announced soon. LPBC’s most famous ballet, “Sweet Sorrow, A Zombie Ballet,” has been presented annually with growing success since 2017 and will be performed again this fall. During this time, the audience size has peaked to 600 in-person audience members.

Always an innovator, LPBC is experienced in finding outside-the-box ways to reimagine ballet and has done so even through pandemic restrictions. Since March 2021, the company has adapted to an evolving digital environment to support its dancers and audience. The addition of a streaming component for viewing has expanded the company’s overall reach by 37% to audiences across the globe. Auditions for 45+ company members were conducted online and Zoom classes and rehearsals are routinely held in multiple time zones. Within this framework, the company has produced a variety of content, including an online Halloween in August fundraiser and a short film in the Old LA Zoo.

The company will continue leveraging technology in the future to produce content featuring its remote dancers in various cities. This strategy supports the company’s vision of “ballet for everyone.” It aims to foster a community of dancers reflective of its broad audience and encourages everyone who wants to participate.

As a non-profit, LPBC has received assistance from within and outside of the company. A true grassroots effort, all of the company’s operations – from its costume/set design to its social media presence to its fundraising efforts – are handled in-house by company dancers. Using their unique talents outside of dance, each company member works to make LPBC the best that it can be. These efforts have paid off in ongoing support from outside donors.

LPBC’s total assets have tripled over the past five years and its donor population continues to grow. As part of its financial strategy, LPBC implemented the LPBC Supporter Program with individual and corporate giving options. The program furthers LPBC’s mission and enables the company to continue redefining ballet storytelling.

“It’s my goal to make ballet as inclusive as possible, and that means putting dancers on stage who don’t fit the outdated mold of the perfect ballerina, dancers who don’t all look alike, sound alike or move alike,” Leigh Purtill says. “I want our audience members to see themselves reflected in our company.”

For more information on the Leigh Purtill Ballet Company visit leighpurtillballetcompany.org