Following years of work with ballet companies that viewed dancers as replaceable, stifled their artistic expression and remained out of reach for the community, two dancers settled in Connecticut to found their antidote — New England Ballet Theatre of Connecticut.
Emily Orzada and Rachael Gnatowski founded the ballet theater, which is based in Hartford. Orzada, a native of Delaware, trained at Mid-Atlantic Ballet. Gnatowski, a native of Maryland, trained at Frederick School of Classical Ballet. The women met while performing at a ballet in Indiana and in 2018 moved to Hartford to pursue dance opportunities. Last November, they struck out on their own.
“We created this company to push ballet forward. We look to the Ballet Russes, how daring they were, putting out different ideas of choreography,” Orzada said. “We want to push the boundaries of ballet.”
Gnatowski and Christopher Fleming, a former member of New York City Ballet who worked under George Balanchine, choreograph the company’s dances. The dancers are Gnatowski, Orzada, Isabel Cary, Fiona Connolly, Stephanie Kellogg, Victoria Manning and Brian Syms Jr.
Orzada said she and Gnatowski created the ballet company “out of a need to create an accessible way for people of Hartford and New England to see affordable ballet performances.” But they had another goal: giving artistic expression to dancers without the baggage that comes with many dance companies.
“We have found that all dancers have been treated as if they were disposable. They are told, ‘I can just hire another one of you if you mess up.’ Nobody takes sick days. You show up no matter what even if you are injured. You are never allowed to speak up,” Orzada said.
The company has performed at senior centers, Blue Back Square, Sea Tea Comedy Theater and the Wadsworth Atheneum. Following an Oct. 25 fall gala, the group will offer virtual performances throughout the fall and winter.
The New England Ballet Theatre of CT will hold a fall gala in person and online on Oct. 25, from Hartford Flavor Company, a brew pub at 30 Arbor St.
A limited number of people can attend the two-hour evening live from 5 to 7 p.m. for $45. This includes a performance of dances, catered food and mingling with dancers and board members. It also allows access to a silent auction and specialty drinks.
An unlimited number of people can livestream a half-hour portion of the dance performance for free, from 5:30 to 6 p.m.
Details and tickets: neballettheatre.com.
Susan Dunne can be reached at sdunne@courant.com.