Keeping N.J. Ballet on its Feet

The 52-year-old New Jersey Ballet, based in Livingston, casts its eyes towards the future.

Carolyn Clark of New Jersey Ballet.
Courtesy of Carolyn Clark.

People who are familiar with New Jersey Ballet all seem to tell the same story about founder and director Carolyn Clark. It goes something like this:

You call New Jersey Ballet’s office in Livingston late at night intent on merely leaving a message. But someone picks up the phone. Who could be answering the phones at 10 or 11 pm? Carolyn Clark, that’s who.

“I know,” says Clark, laughing. “They say, ‘She’s there all the time.’ Someone once called this ‘Carolyn Clark’s all-night ballet.’”

Clearly, the New Jersey Ballet is Clark’s baby. The New Jersey native founded the company 52 years ago (with the late George Tomal) and she’s run it ever since.

“It’s been very challenging even in the good times, and especially in the bad times—and we’ve had plenty of those,” says Clark.

The former ballerina with American Ballet Theatre lives in Long Valley with her two dogs, rescued mutts Starr and Willie. Most of her time is consumed with keeping her company on its feet.

With the economy still in recovery mode and arts funding suffering, this is one of those bad times for the company—financially speaking anyway. Indeed, the company is offering its 16 dancers only 24 weeks of work for the 2009-2010 season, down from 32 weeks in better times. Further cuts remain a possibility.
Still, New Jersey Ballet has continued to push forward artistically, presenting a mix of classic, neoclassic, and gentle contemporary pieces. The company earned rave reviews for a rarely seen full-length production of the ballet Esmeralda a few years ago. Staging such rarities has become a specialty.

In the fall, New Jersey Ballet presented the world premiere of The Three Riddles of Turandot by New Jersey choreographer Nai-Ni Chen. That creation undoubtedly will be one of the works the company performs during its appearances this spring, which include a March 13 gala at New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.

Others in the state’s dance community marvel at the company and Clark’s perseverance over the years. “For anything to last 50 years—a personal relationship, a business, a marriage, certainly a dance company—that’s a monumental accomplishment that should really be celebrated and treasured,” says Randy James, president of the statewide consortium of dance organizations, Dance New Jersey. James, a professor at Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts, is artistic director of his own company, Randy James Danceworks.

“It’s a testament to Carolyn Clark, really,” James says. “She is New Jersey Ballet. If it wasn’t for her fortitude and persistence and intelligence, they wouldn’t be here. They create very good dance and very good dancers and it’s a classical company, which is needed here in New Jersey.”

For Clark, it’s all about staying true to her dream of bringing high-quality dancing to as much of the state as possible. “I just do what I think is right,” she says.

Karyn D. Collins is a veteran arts writer based in Highland Park.

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