Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre History
Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre (RMBT) and Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre School were founded 1998 by Artistic Director Charlene Campbell Carey. Ms. Carey envisioned Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre as a company that would present original ballets and would collaborate with musicians, artists and other dancers and choreographers. Ms. Carey invited music director Karen Carreno to join her in 1998. RMBT is one of the few schools in Montana that has a music director who provides live piano accompaniment for classes. RMBT School opened with 40 students and has now tripled in size. The school offers classes in ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, kick line, and contemporary repertoire for ages 3 to adult. The summer RMBT opened, Ms. Carey invited colleagues from around the world for its first international summer workshop. Guests from the Royal Ballet in London, New York City Ballet, Los Angeles MTV, and Broadway began an RMBT tradition of bringing in top notch artists teaching Montana dancers and showing the beauty of Montana to these artists. This tradition continues every summer.
RMBT first performed in December of 1998 at the Missoula Children’s Theater. The ballet, “A Christmas Jewel,” was conceived by Ms. Carey who commissioned a score by Los Angeles composer Albert Potts and backdrops and art direction by Larry Pirnie. Former Russian Bolshoi star Alexander Kedrov danced in the first production. “A Christmas Jewel” was performed until 2002. During this time, the students of Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre continued to advance in technique and performing abilities. Ms. Carey mounted numerous new works that were performed in Missoula at the Wilma Theater, Montana Theater and the University Theater. The company toured to Spokane, WA, Butte, MT, and Coeur d’Alene ID during this time with its diverse programs. Collaborating with the Missoula Youth Symphony on a score by Albert Potts, Ms. Carey created “Flying Fireworks” a ballet inspired by the Missoula Carousel. Expanding venue options and creating new programming, RMBT performed at the Elks Lodge from 2000 to 2003 with its Parisian fashion revue titled “Les Bonnes Filles” in conjunction with the department store Bon Marche.
In the summer of 2001, RMBT was invited to perform as a part of Light Opera Work’s production of “Kismet” in Chicago, IL. The directors and 12 RMBT dancers spent 6 weeks in Chicago rehearsing, singing, and performing at the Kahn Auditorium on the campus of Northwestern University. This was to be the beginning of travel, study and performing opportunities that RMBT offers to the youth of Montana. In 2002 RMBT joined the prestigious Tanzsommer “Stars of Tomorrow” tour to Austria. A group of 35 dancers, directors and parents traveled to Munich, Innsbruck, St. Johann, Salzburg and Vienna. The dancers performed in these cities, met other young dancers, and experienced the Austrian culture. Exposure to another language, food, and different approaches to dance, etiquette and life had strong positive effect on everyone. The dancers came back more mature, self-confident, and with a better understanding of cultural differences.
In 2003 RMBT moved into its current facility at 2704 Brooks St. in Missoula. Now with 4,000 square feet, 3 large studios, high ceilings, sprung Marley floors, large dressing rooms, two bathrooms, large office space and storage; RMBT has a fully equipped dance school.
In 2004 the company returned to Chicago and Light Opera Works to perform in “Candide.” 2005, RMBT directors took a group of 45 to Italy where dancers studied at the Balletto di Roma and toured the historic sites of Rome and Sienna. In 2006 the company traveled to Chicago to attend a workshop at the Underground Arts Connection with Terry Fox. Dancers studied with artists from Cirque du Soleil, Argentinean Tango dancers, and Broadway stars from “The Color Purple.” 2007 saw RMBT return to Italy to attend the Broadway Dance Center’s workshop in Tropea. RMBT dancers worked with Desmond Richardson, world renowned ballet star, and Jared Grimes, hip hop and tap star from New York.
While touring nationally and internationally, RMBT continued to perform locally and to offer high quality training with live accompaniment to its students. In 2002, Ms. Carey created the “Christmas Spectacular” based on the New York Radio City Music Hall event. With a “Winter Wonderland Kick Line” and holiday themed ballets, the “Christmas Spectacular” has become a staple in the RMBT season. The company also performs throughout Missoula on various events and for community organizations. Some of these include: First Night Missoula, Missoula Symphony Orchestra, Mendelssohn Club, International Food Fair, Western Montana Fair, Missoula Art Museum, Roots Festival, Confucius Institute New Year Celebration, Missoula Youth Symphony, Missoula Cultural Council, Living Art, Symphony Chorale and University Chorale. In 2002 the RMBT directors created an after-school week long workshop titled “Tales of Beatrix Potter.” The workshop incorporated literature, dance, art, and music based upon the writer Beatrix Potter. From 2007 to the present, RMBT takes a 40 minute program of dance to Missoula Public Schools free of charge.
International touring took a new turn in 2006 when Ms. Carey contacted Montana Senator Max Baucus and presented the idea of RMBT going to Beijing, China during the year of their Olympics. Sen. Baucus fully supported having RMBT bring a “Montana” program to the Chinese and introduced Ms. Campbell to Chinese Ambassador Zhou during the Senator’s Economic Summit in Butte, MT. RMBT performed for Ambassadors from China, Bahrain, Panama, Indonesia, Chile and South Korea at the summit in 2006. Over the next two years the RMBT directors, board of directors, and the entire community of Missoula got behind this tour. The company spent two weeks in China in May of 2008 and presented its Western themed program of cowgirls, American music, a Salish Kootenai fancy dancer, and a rope tricking Montana Rodeo champion. In tribute to our Chinese hosts, RMBT dancers also performed sections from two classic Chinese ballets. The Chinese government hosted the company for two weeks in Beijing, Guilin, Yangzhou, Shanghai and Suzhou. Missoulian reporter Joe nickel joined the tour and kept Missoulian readers up to date during the tour. Videographer Brent O’Connor taped the tour and created a documentary titled: “Moccasins, Tutus, and a Rope. It premiered at the University Center in October of 2008. RMBT presented this “Montana” program in Missoula in 2007 and in Billings in 2008.
Just a few months after the 2008 China tour, Ms. Carey and RMBT dancer Ashley Hagler returned to Beijing for the Second International Ballet Competition. Ms. Hagler competed with dancers from China, Korean, Cuba, Iceland and throughout Europe, and South and North America. She placed 7th in the competition and will be attending Juilliard the fall of 2010 on scholarship
Embarking upon a new venture with the Moscow Ballet, RMBT performed in their production of the “Nutcracker” in 2009. 25 RMBT dancers joined the professional company from Russia in a beautiful production of the Nutcracker at the University Theater. In February of 2010, RMBT collaborated with the Rossetti Trio from Los Angeles, CA to present an evening of dance and music at the Missoula Children’s Theater.
Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre has been recognized as an outstanding training facility and a performing company offering entertaining, original ballets. Dance Magazine featured RMBT in January of 2006. After its diplomatic tour to China in 2008, Sen. Baucus asked RMBT to host ambassadors from Vietnam, Morocco, Colombia, New Zealand and Peru here in Montana the summer of 2008. RMBT returned to China in 2010 for cultural exchanges in our sister state of Guangxi performing on a water stage in Liuzhou and then at the Guangxi Arts Institue in Nanning. The company then went to Shanghai to perform at the USA Pavilion and at the American stage at the World Expo. Most recently Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre became an affiliate of the University of Montana in International Programs
