VIBE draws international cadre of dancers and judges
Enlightenment and entertainment join forces when Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre hosts the U.S. round of the prestigious Vienna International Ballet Experience (VIBE), Jan. 12-16 in Missoula. More than 200 dancers from around the world arrive in the Garden City for five days of rigorous competition, as well as master classes, concerts and an international symposium.
“Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre sees hosting VIBE as an enormous opportunity to forward its mission of diplomacy through dance,” says Artistic Director Charlene Campbell Carey. “This festival of cultural events is an unprecedented opportunity to meet and mix with dancers and diplomats without leaving Montana.”
A heavy-hitting line-up of world-renowned jury members is also headed to Missoula for this historic event, which has never been held on U.S. soil. The jury includes legendary prima ballerinas, world-class choreographers, and the leaders of some of the most renowned dance schools around the world.
“After nearly two decades of taking the Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre around the world, we are proud to be bringing the international ballet community to the Rockies,” said Campbell.
“This is about democratizing dance while elevating the status of Montana as an arts and cultural center,” she adds.
The Vienna International Ballet Experience is open to professionals, students and amateurs (deadline was Dec. 5). The categories of competition are classical, contemporary, and an open category which is all-inclusive: hip-hop, tap, ethnic, musical-theater, and all styles of dance will be featured.
In addition to the dance competition, VIBE U.S.A. includes master classes and discussions; and a film festival highlighting international and culturally relevant films with panel discussions featuring experts on film and international relations.
The Mansfield Center will co-host “The Art of Diplomacy,” a symposium on Friday that explores the role of the arts and artists in rebuilding human connections when diplomacy fails.
Most events take place at The University of Montana, with a Grand Finale Gala performance featuring the winners and international guest stars, 1 p.m. Jan. 16 at the Wilma Theater. Tickets are $25-$100. Admission to other events is free.
For more information, visit Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre, vibe.destinationmissoula.org or call 406-549-5155.
Bringing the world stage to Montana
For many of our students and professional dancers who have joined me abroad with the Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre, this January will represent a “full circle” moment. We have gone out into the world to China, Europe, South America and Canada, and now the world is coming back to us. We intend to reciprocate with all the warmth and hospitality we have received, thereby making Missoula one more brick in the house of international understanding.
In January, for the first time ever, the Vienna International Ballet Experience will be hosted on U.S. soil – not in New York, Chicago or L.A. –but in Missoula, Montana. The Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre will host the very first VIBE U.S.A. competition, which will include a film festival with Emmy Award-winning filmmakers in town to discuss their work.
Additionally, the Mansfield Center will be joining VIBE U.S.A. by hosting a gathering of thought leaders, diplomats and international policy makers for “The Art of Diplomacy,” discussing the role of the arts and artists in rebuilding human connections when diplomacy fails. For many Montanans, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that might open their eyes to a whole new world of inspiration.
This is also a full-circle moment for me personally. In the 1990s, I lost my 2-year-old son Gavin to cancer. I decided to move to Missoula to start over. Finding comfort in my passion for dance, I started the Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre in a small studio along the railroad tracks on Spruce Street. (The trains were sometimes so loud, we had to stop whenever they thundered by!)
In those days, each time I could help open a child’s eyes to new opportunities available to them, I strung another moment of joy onto what has now become a long and never-ending series of moments, and those moments have helped to heal my broken heart. I am grateful.
Almost 20 years later, I can say that, through art and dance I have witnessed many children’s magic moments when they switched on or connected the dots of how their lives can be enriched by all forms of dance, and then used it as their own, unique form of human communication.
When we added the international component, we as a dance company thrived in a different way. The children, and adults who accompanied them, learned to understand foreign customs and habits. We have gone out in the world and now the world is coming home to us.
Culture does not exist only in the metropolitan hubs of the world. It has been our mission to connect not only with people in the big cities, but also visit rural areas where seeing a dance performance is unlikely. Like any art, dance is a form of communication, but lucky for us, it’s one that anyone, no matter what their language skills, can understand.
Through a truly universal language, Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre has effectively taken a choreographed version of the Rocky Mountains to all corners of the earth. I hope you will consider joining us in welcoming our guests and taking part in the VIBE U.S.A. events, Jan. 12-16 – an unforgettable experience we invite the entire state to enjoy.
– Charlene Campbell Carey
Artistic and Executive Director,
Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre