Sarasota Ballet Will Continue to Pay Company Members Through Original End of its Season

The Sarasota Ballet has announced that they will continue to pay dancers through the original end of their contracts.

It was announced recently that the remainder of the ballet's season was cancelled due to the current health crisis. The season was supposed to extend another six weeks.

Director Iain Webb, Executive Director Joseph Volpe, and Assistant Director Margaret Barbieri informed the 34 Company Members, 8 Apprentices, and 13 Studio Company dancers that the company will continue to pay their salaries and medical insurance through the end of their contracts, Ballet News reports.

"Iain, Margaret, and I felt strongly that even with the financial losses that The Sarasota Ballet is incurring by cancelling two of our most important programs of the Season, we could not just lay off our dancers and effectively abandon them at this critical moment," said Volpe.

The Sarasota Ballet estimates a loss of over $800,000, not including potential losses in fundraising revenue and the potential impact to the 30th Anniversary season.

Read more on Ballet News.