Aspen Santa Fe Ballet

Aspenites had been viewing dance for years. The Salt Lake City-based Ballet West, under the leadership of William Christensen, conducted annual summer residencies in Aspen, giving master classes and performances on an open-air stage with a breathtaking natural backdrop of mountains. In this milieu, Bebe Schweppe, a visionary community leader and former ballet pupil of Robert Joffrey, opened a one-room ballet studio in 1991. That humble start gave rise to the Aspen Ballet Company and School—the precursor of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. In a town that annually transformed from a wintery sports haven to a summer arts mecca, dance took root.

Malaty and the company’s artistic director, Mossbrucker, faced a blank slate. Anything was possible. Against all odds, a town of 6,000 permanent residents had a ballet company bearing its name. Pushing back against those odds was good fortune … and true grit. The dance company that emerged was treasured by its stakeholders: dancers, dance makers, patrons, and audiences. From the start, its fate was fragile. While the small-city setting initially kept things manageable, over time it inhibited growth. The team took this challenge as an opportunity: it pursued ‘horizontal’ growth. Ancillary dance activities would bolster the performing troupe’s needs. A multi-faceted and stable arts organization with diversified income developed rapidly.