The Mid-Columbia Ballet (MCB) is a nonprofit corporation, whose mission is to foster and advance the art of ballet in its various forms in the Mid-Columbia region. MCB is managed by a Board of Directors and the MCB Guild is responsible for managing volunteers and many fundraising activities.

The MCB consists of young dancers committed to the art of ballet. MCB’s repertoire includes classical, neoclassical, and modern works by choreographers from throughout the United States. MCB has been granted performance rights to several Balanchine works by the George Balanchine Trust and was the first pre-professional group to perform a work by Twyla Tharp.

MCB has performed at Chop Shop: Bodies of Work in Seattle, USA/International Ballet Competition, in Austria at the Tanzsommer Austrian Arts Festival and at SPRING TO DANCE in St. Louis, Missouri. MCB has hosted Regional Dance America/Pacific Festivals four times, each time bringing to the Tri-Cities over twenty amateur and professional ballet companies, internationally known dance teachers and lecturers, and university recruiters for the 4-day convention.

MCB has also grown to be a valuable community resource. MCB received the 2020 STAR award from the City of Richland for pivoting The Nutcracker to a free movie, Clara’s Tri-Cities Nutcracker Dream that had 14,000 YouTube views and featured over 30 local businesses and locations. In addition, MCB was selected as a grant recipient for Gesa’s Local Heroes program in 2020 and 2021 in recognition of the positive impact our outreach and educational efforts have had in our community. We are very honored to be recognized this way.

We could not succeed in continuing this tradition without the support of our audience. Your support is the vital element that allows us to continue sharing this experience with you year after year.

Many thanks to our Backdrop Sponsors for helping provide new backdrops which we will use for many more years to provide performance opportunities for our dancers and to bring artistic excellence to our Community.

Mid-Columbia Contemporary Dance

Mid-Columbia Contemporary Dance (MCCD) is a non-profit organization providing artistic dance opportunities for the Eastern Washington community. Currently they offer drop-in dance classes for adults of all levels. They also strive to create thoughtful choreographic and performance opportunities, recently collaborating with Visit Tri-Cities to create a destination dance film highlighting locations in the Tri-Cities. MCCD board members participate in outreach workshops integrating dance with core curriculum for elementary students. More at MidColumbiaDance.org.

They are pleased to be presenting a new work for this evening’s show choreographed by board member Sam Norr. In his piece titled Sojourn, the unfolding journey of life in motion is explored, where paths cross, diverge, and intertwine. Within the chaos of change, moments of harmony emerge, revealing the threads that connect us. Through shared movement, the work reflects a search for unity, reminding us that even in uncertainty, we are never truly alone.

MCB Staff

Allie Yates, Amber Davis, Lily Wutzke, Debra Pearse Rogo, Rebecca Rogo, Torrie Mower

Artistic Director

Debra Pearse Rogo

Administrator

Gaye Wutzke

Junior Company Manager

Torrie Mower

Intermediate Company Manager

Amber Davis

INCLUDE Director

Rebecca Rogo

Social Media  & Wardrobe Supervisor

Allie Yates

Costumer

Michelle Engler

Ballet Beanies Manager

Lily Wutzke

Debra Pearse Rogo, Artistic Director

Debra grew up in Melbourne, Australia where she trained in the Cecchetti (Italian) Method of Ballet passing all exams, including her teaching certification, with Honors. She also received teaching and performing opportunities with the National Theatre and Ballet Victoria. After finishing her schooling, she performed with the Sydney City Ballet for three years before moving to the United States where she was the Assistant Director and then Artistic Director of Ballet Omaha, a professional company with its own school. In 1987, Debra and her husband, Joel, moved to Washington State to buy a small ballet school; the Tri-Cities Academy of Ballet. After more than 35 years it is now the Tri-Cities Academy of Ballet and Music and includes a Performing Arts Pre-School.

Debra is currently the Chairman of The Ballet Alliance, and has previously served as Chairman of Regional Dance America, on the Honorary Committee for the USA International Ballet Competition and as Executive Director of Regional Dance America’s Craft of Choreography Conference. Debra has been a guest teacher at many US schools and universities, the National Dance Foundation of Bermuda, the 2013 Australian Cecchetti Conference, the 2014 USA International Cecchetti Conference and the 2016 Cecchetti USA Summer School. In recognition of her work in the Tri-Cities, Ms. Rogo received the City of Richland 2014 Contribution to the Arts Award.

The mission of the Guild is to support and promote the Mid-Columbia Ballet in their commitment to providing high quality performing arts to our community. The Guild assumes responsibility for organizing volunteers to support MCB productions such as The Nutcracker. Guild funds help MCB with production costs such as theatre rental, costumes, guest artists, and outreach. Volunteers organize a series of various events throughout the year to raise funds for MCB.

The Guild welcomes any new members who wish to ensure that the Tri-Cities will always have an opportunity to enjoy the cultural experiences of ballet. To learn more about the Guild and how to become a member visit our Guild page.

The Mid-Columbia Ballet (MCB) is incorporated in Washington State as a non-profit corporation and is exempt from federal taxes under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. For more information on MCB’s finances, including funding spent on programs, do a charity search at https://ccfs.sos.wa.gov.

Join those mentioned below by giving a gift that will help MCB sustain our efforts to provide artistic excellence in our productions and community outreach programs.

Please patronize the local businesses and other arts groups that support MCB