Bill Text: VA HJR848 | 2019 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Richmond Ballet.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-1)
Status: (Passed) 2019-02-21 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ848ER) [HJR848 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2019-HJR848-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, Richmond Ballet, a nationally recognized premier dance organization and educational institution in Virginia's capital, celebrates its 35th anniversary as a professional ballet company in 2019, fulfilling its mission to awaken and uplift the human spirit; and
WHEREAS, dance enthusiasts founded Richmond Ballet in 1957 as a performance outlet for students in local dance programs; and
WHEREAS, Richmond Ballet existed for almost 20 years as a small civic company until 1975, when the School of Richmond Ballet was founded; the school sparked the evolution from a student company to the professional company of today; and
WHEREAS, in 1980, Stoner Winslett became the founding artistic director; in 1984, Richmond Ballet became the first professional ballet company in the Commonwealth and was subsequently designated "The State Ballet of Virginia" in 1990 by the Governor; and
WHEREAS, in 2000, Richmond Ballet moved into a newly renovated state-of-the-art facility at 407 East Canal Street, in the heart of downtown Richmond; and
WHEREAS, today the professional company employs 19 full-time dancers and five apprentices who come from all over the world and have helped earn Richmond Ballet critical acclaim; and
WHEREAS, today Richmond Ballet reaches more than 100,000 people annually in communities throughout Virginia and beyond, with a professional repertory that includes 47 original works, educational and outreach programs including the Minds In Motion and in-school performance series, and a thriving school that serves more than 700 students; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Richmond Ballet on its 35th anniversary as a professional ballet company in 2019 fulfilling its mission to awaken and uplift the human spirit; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Richmond Ballet Artistic Director Stoner Winslett, as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for Richmond Ballet's commitment to fostering the arts in the Commonwealth.