01 & 14 (68)Public Comment
From:
Kaitlin Gibson <
Sent:
Thursday, April 22, 2021 6:13 PM
To:
Public Comment
Cc:
Anaheim Ballet
Subject:
Save Anaheim Ballet
To Whom it May Concern,
I grew up dancing with Sarma & Larry Rosenberg. We started in a small studio in San Clemente, until they had the
wonderful opportunity to become Anaheim's resident ballet company. The move made it difficult for my family to
commute, but we loved their teaching and desire to educate local communities in the arts; so we became dedicated to
the drive.
They have done incredible things for the community including free classes to local residents. Their outreach program
reached tons of kids who never would have had the opportunity or funds to be a part of the ballet community. I was
part of the program where we visited schools to perform at assemblies. In these performances we engaged kids to
become educated in the importance of the arts. The engagement and excitement from kids at schools was humbling and
in quite frankly, magical.
The arts as a whole have greatly suffered from the pandemic. Not only did live performances have to seize, but the
continued education of kids in the arts took a back burner to basic education necessities. These activities have been
proven to benefit kids and adults in ways that add to their character and help develop not only a sense of community,
but also a desire to communicate through movement.
It is essential to the human life to have a way to artfully express our happiness, sadness, empathy and celebration of life.
Without companies like Anaheim Ballet, our youth and communities will fail to evolve into warm, welcoming and
supportive environments. And isn't that what we all want for each other?
I strongly urge the city council to find Anaheim Ballet a place to call home. After all, the studio was my home for 15+
years as I rehearsed for The Nutcracker, and 100's of other shows that were highlighted on numerous stages in the
community. Do not throw out a large piece of Anaheim's community that continually has offered so many amazing
programs, classes, and outreach through free events.
Warm Regards,
Kaitlin Gibson
A ballet dancer & teacher for Anaheim Ballet for 20 years
Sent from my iPhone