The mission of the Asheville Ballet Guild, Inc. is to support the artistic, educational and outreach activities of the Asheville Ballet and AnnDunnDANCErs (ADDANCE) while creating a Center for Dance Arts Education for the Western North Carolina region.

The Asheville Ballet Guild, Inc. (ABG) is one of Western North Carolinas oldest nonprofit arts organizations. First incorporated in 1963, the Guild has created and presented work in Asheville every year since. In an average season, our formal and educational outreach programming affects a culturally diverse audience of approximately 23,000 people. An active advisory panel and a strong, wellorganized volunteer base assist the ABG board.

ABG has produced residencies by historical choreographers (Anna Sokolow, Douglas Dunn, Lori Bellilove), hosted master classes and workshops by international dance stars (Sean Curran, Mark Dendy, Chuck Davis, David Dorfman), produced the threeweek Fall Into Dance festival, and commissioned both classical and contemporary choreography.

ABG productions reflect our varied interests. Work has been produced for fundraisers (The Health Adventure, The Arts Council), for civic events (Martin Luther King Day, Bele Chere Festival), and for commercial events (The Miss Asheville pageant, opening for the Pointer Sisters).

Since its inception, ABG has produced both cutting edge interdisciplinary work and fulllength major work. We have collaborated with other local art agencies (the Asheville Symphony, Asheville Bravo Concerts, Asheville Community Theater, Asheville Lyric Opera), and have worked live with the areas major musical, poetic and visual artists.

In addition to promoting new work and a professional ballet company for the Western North Carolina region, ABG offers an annual lecture series on dance appreciation, in coordination with other local dance presenters, and generates educational articles on dance history and appreciation for national publications and a wide variety of local journals. We have also built a full library of dancerelated material.

Our commitment to supporting ABGs professional adult members is evidenced by our challenging and stimulating performances, choreography, and teaching opportunities. ABG continues to nurture the careers of our advanced youth members. Dancers who have worked with ABG have performed with Alvin Ailey, Kirov Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Forth Worth Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Colorado Ballet, Hartford Ballet, Boston Ballet, Geneva Ballet, National Ballet of Cuba, and the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes. ABG dancers have appeared in Broadway musicals, Hollywood films, and have won titles all the way up to Miss America. They have also been accepted at the schools of the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Juilliard, Boston Ballet, Jose Limon, Paul Taylor, Martha Graham (company apprenticeship), Robert Joffrey (company apprenticeship), and The Dance Conservatory at Purchase.

ABG has created and found funding for scholarships for advanced dancers to pursue professional work in New York and Europe, and for underprivileged children to study dance right here in Asheville. We have worked with Project Steam, MakeAWish Foundation, Helpmate, Elida Home, Presbyterian Home for Children, and local churches to locate and encourage new dancers and danceappreciators. Our Tix for Tots program makes hundreds of tickets available to introduce children to the wonders of dance.

At Asheville Ballet Guild, we have built our reputation on a belief that dance plays a vital role in the education and culture of our community. We stand by our mission . . .