Ballet Fantastique’s Hannah Bontrager dances at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in 2011.
Word has been around town informally for a while, but today the official announcement is in: Eugene’s chamber ballet company Ballet Fantastique has become a resident company at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts.
They join six other resident companies at the Hult: The Eugene Symphony, the Oregon Bach Festival, Eugene Ballet Company, Eugene Opera, Eugene Concert Choir and The Shedd Institute
Resident status offers a number of benefits to a performing arts group. The resident companies get first shot at the booking calendar, they get a break on some rental fees, and they are entitled to apply for grant money from the Hult Endowment.
But being a resident company can also be a burden, as groups are expected to perform regularly at the Hult — which can be fairly expensive for small non-profit arts groups.That’s why two years ago the Oregon Mozart Players gave up their resident company status and began performing at the University of Oregon’s Beall Concert Hall.
The Hult began its resident company program with five companies in 1987.