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'Dracula' ballet at TBPAC canceled

By JOHN FLEMING
Published March 10, 2005

Ballet seems to be jinxed in the Tampa Bay area. The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center announced Wednesday that Ballet Florida's performances of Dracula scheduled for April 16 and 17 have been canceled. It's the latest in a series of failed efforts to present professional ballet in the bay area.

Dennis Stefanacci, a consultant working with the West Palm Beach ballet company, said a management restructuring led to the cancellation.

"As a result of the amount of time, finances and energy that has been required to take this organization to the next level, we decided to focus our marketing efforts on local performances at the present time, and as a result have been unable to either focus on or promote the performance of Dracula at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center," Stefanacci said in a statement. "For this we apologize to the people of the Tampa area."

The company recently hired a new executive director, Leah Miles.

TBPAC had made Ballet Florida a resident company and was counting on it to fill a niche. Tampa Ballet and Bay Ballet Theatre were two companies that folded over the past 15 years.

"It's one of the producing genres that we don't have here in the Tampa Bay area, a resident ballet company," president Judi Lisi said when Ballet Florida's inclusion in TBPAC's 2004-05 season was announced. "Unless we're prepared to spend a lot of money putting one together, which I don't think anybody is, I think this will be the next best thing."

The TBPAC-Ballet Florida partnership got off to a good start in October when the company gave a free performance for a full house in Ferguson Hall. Officials were looking forward to Dracula, an acclaimed work by Ben Stevenson that has drawn diverse audiences in other cities.

"We are very disappointed by Ballet Florida's decision to cancel its shows in Tampa," Lisi said, adding that the company has not been rebooked for next season. "We are unsure whether the relationship will continue."

Ticket buyers for Dracula may request a refund from the place of purchase.

[Last modified March 10, 2005, 01:13:09]