Why Live Dance Matters to Our River Towns

There is a moment just before the curtain rises when the house lights dim and a room full of strangers goes quiet together. Neighbors who have never met, grandparents with grandchildren on their laps, a couple on a first date, a teenager who has never seen a ballet. For the next two hours, all of them breathe with the dancers on stage. You cannot download that moment. You cannot stream it. You have to be there.

I have spent my life in theaters, first as a dancer with The Joffrey Ballet, American Repertory Ballet and Dayton Ballet, and now leading Roxey Ballet here along the Delaware River. After all these years, I still believe live performance is one of the most powerful things a community can share. I want to tell you why, and I want to ask for your help in keeping it alive.

What Happens When You Show Up

A live performance is a living exchange. Dancers feel an audience. They feed off your laughter at Dracula's Lair, your gasps during the snow scene in The Nutcracker, and the silence that falls when a dancer holds a balance a beat longer than seems possible. No two performances are ever the same, because no two audiences are ever the same.

For children especially, seeing live dance can change the direction of a life. I have watched young people walk into a theater shy and unsure and walk out standing taller, already asking when they can take a class. Live art teaches focus, discipline, empathy and imagination in ways a screen never will. It also reminds all of us that real human beings, working together, can create something extraordinary right in front of our eyes.

The Arts Mean Business on Main Street

A professional dance company is not only a cultural asset. It is an economic engine for the towns around it.

The most recent national study from Americans for the Arts, Arts & Economic Prosperity 6, found that nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences generated $151.7 billion in economic activity across the country in 2022. That activity supports 2.6 million jobs and generates $29.1 billion in government revenue.

The figure that matters most for our river towns is this one: the typical arts attendee spends $38.46 per person, per event, beyond the cost of the ticket. That money goes to dinner before the show, a drink afterward, parking, babysitters, a stop at a local shop, and sometimes a hotel room for visitors who come from out of town. When a family of four comes to The Nutcracker, they are also supporting the restaurants, cafés and small businesses of our community.

That same study found that when visitors travel to a community for an arts event, most of them say the performance itself is the main reason they came. In other words, the arts bring people here who otherwise would not come, and they keep local residents spending their evenings and their dollars close to home instead of driving to Philadelphia or New York.

A resident company also employs people year round: dancers, teachers, stage managers, costume makers, lighting and sound technicians, front of house staff and more. Many of them live, rent, shop and pay taxes right here. When you support a professional company in your community, you are investing in local jobs and in the vitality of every downtown it touches.

World Class Artists, Right Here at Home

You do not have to travel to a major city to see dancers of the highest caliber. Roxey Ballet brings professional artists from across the country and around the world to live and work in our region. They perform on our stages, teach in our studios and visit our schools. They become part of the fabric of Frenchtown, Lambertville, New Hope and the towns all along the river.

That is something special, and it is something we should never take for granted.

A Full Season of Dance

This season we are proud to bring you a full slate of performances and special events:

• Dracula's Lair (October). Our spine tingling Halloween tradition returns.

• The Nutcracker, 31st Anniversary (November and December) at the TCNJ School of the Arts Theatre in Ewing, NJ. Thirty one years of a holiday tradition that has become part of so many families' celebrations.

• Nutcracker Suites Tea Party. A magical chance for young audiences to meet the characters up close.

• A Very Lambertville Holiday Celebration (December). Dance in the heart of our hometown for the holidays.

• Latin Creations (February through April). A vibrant celebration of rhythm, color and movement.

• Alice's Wonderland (May). A world premiere that will take audiences down the rabbit hole.

• River Dance Festival (summer). Our annual festival celebrating dance along the Delaware returns to New Hope.

Visit roxeyballet.org for dates, tickets and details.

How You Can Help

Here is the honest truth. Ticket sales alone have never covered the full cost of bringing professional dance to a community. They never will, for us or for any dance company in America. Every school visit, every free outreach performance, every dancer's paycheck and every costume depends on people who believe this work matters.

Our mission is simple: to bring dance to every school, every theater and every street in our community. We cannot do that without you.

• Come to a performance. Bring a friend who has never seen ballet. Bring your children and your parents.

• Volunteer. We need ushers, backstage helpers, boutique and concession volunteers, event hosts and people willing to share their time and talents. Volunteering is one of the best ways to get to know the company and your neighbors.

• Become a sponsor. Local businesses can partner with Roxey Ballet to reach engaged audiences while investing in the community they serve.

• Make a donation. Roxey Ballet Company, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and gifts of every size make a real difference.

• Spread the word. Share our season, follow us on social media and tell people about what is happening right here in our river towns.

Keep the Lights On

When a community loses its arts, it rarely notices all at once. A season gets shorter. A school program quietly ends. A theater goes dark. Then one day the moment before the curtain rises is something you have to drive two hours to find.

We do not want that for our community, and I know you do not either. Let's keep the lights on, together. Come see us this season, lend a hand, and help us keep world class dance alive along the river.

I hope to see you at the theater.

Warmly,

Mark Roxey

Founding Artistic and Executive Director, Roxey Ballet

Get involved: info@roxeyballet.org | 609-397-7616 | roxeyballet.org

Source for economic data: Americans for the Arts, Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6).