Gainesville School of Ballet

Long post but PLEASE READ THIS IMPORTANT UPDATE.

At about 8:30am on Monday, May 24th, just over twelve hours after dancers performing with the Gainesville School of Ballet wrapped up their year-end recital, our two main teachers, Miss Charlotte DeLong and Miss Jocelyn Buchanan resigned via email within minutes of each other. This was two weeks from the start of our summer camps and intensives, in the midst of planning the schedule for next year, and without any warning or meaningful rationale for their exit.

Two days later, there was an emergency board meeting held with Gainesville Ballet Company board of directors, via Zoom. Most of these board members have only been on the board for five-to-six-years while their children have performed at the company level. In the meeting the board voted unanimously to fire Diane Callahan as Artistic Director of GBC. There was no reason given and Diane was completely blindsided. When the one person in opposition, GSB’s Executive Director, Tamara Stevenson, attempted to speak up in support, she was muted. In all, it took less than ten minutes to undo what Diane had built over forty-seven years.

As the premier dance school in North Georgia, Diane established the Gainesville School of Ballet fifty-two years ago to provide dance training and instruction to youth in the community. Five years later Diane founded the Gainesville Ballet Company, the non-profit arm of the school, to provide more performing opportunities for dancers, such as The Nutcracker and our annual spring storybook ballets (Wizard of Oz, Frozen, Mary Poppins, etc.)

For fifty-two years Miss Diane has taught thousands upon thousands of dancers, lifted up countless families, and has been a huge part of the North Georgia community.

Due to COVID, the Gainesville School of Ballet and Gainesville Ballet Company have been restricted from holding classes and performing on the Brenau University campus since March of 2020 - fourteen months. Because of higher rent for weekly classes, lower student body count, double the teachers needed (due to of social distancing requirements), and a considerably higher cost for the recital performance location, Gainesville School of Ballet has suffered great financial loss in the 2020-2021 school year. Despite these challenges, we continued to press on just to be able to offer instruction and performance opportunities for our dancers, and income for the teachers.

When it was clear Brenau was not allowing GSB/GBC to return to campus in the fall of 2020, Executive members of the GBC board began pressuring Diane to invest her own money (as owner of GSB) to build new and separate studios off campus from Brenau. Because of her affiliation and history with Brenau, she declined to do so. Despite the fact that Diane maintained her Artistic Director status and continued to direct the company and school remotely until she was fully vaccinated. Diane was not compensated by the school nor the company. In fact, she volunteered early in the pandemic to forgo her pay so that Miss Charlotte and Miss Jocelyn could be paid.

Due to Diane's age she had begun to consider retirement prior to COVID. However, she had been considering how a transition would work, given how deeply woven she is into this community and with Brenau University. Diane was looking for the right person to take over who would share her passion for teaching and her dedication to her dancers. She was searching for a person who could add artistry on top of technique. “That's what makes a dancer and that is part of what is unique about Diane Callahan.” Derrick Smith said, "Many in the dance world will acknowledge that Miss Diane is rare in this world." That could not be any truer. You don't even have to be a part of the dance world to see her passion for teaching is truly unique.

Since Miss Diane was fully vaccinated in March, she has been working to bring GSB back to the level it was pre-COVID so that she could continue her search for the right person to do the job.

"I feel like I've been shot" are the words Diane expressed the day these two teachers resigned. "Bullied and betrayed" is how we all feel given the underhanded manner in which this was handled. Now, it is clear that there has been something afoot for a while. It is clear that this was calculated and done with intent. The true reasons may not ever be made clear, but what is relevant is the method in which this "transition" has been forced to occur. A lot of deception was required to pull this together.

Miss Diane has lived and breathed the art of dance since age nine, including dancing for three truly professional dance companies. Her wish to continue to be involved in the dance community in Gainesville that began so many decades ago has been ripped away from her by the sitting board of directors, giving them artistic control without the experience to do so.
Gainesville School of Ballet and Gainesville Ballet Company are synonymous with Diane Callahan. They are her. They are her vision. They are her passion. It is important that the community is aware that Diane Callahan is no longer involved with, and no longer has an influence on the Gainesville Ballet Company, its productions, or any instruction they provide. It is also important to note, these changes were not of her choosing.

This is wrong, wrong, wrong; and, at this point, nothing can be done to fix it. We are just IN TEARS over this. Miss Diane has been left with no other choice but to put Gainesville School of Ballet on hiatus. This means there will not be summer camps, as previously announced, or classes in the fall. Miss Diane will, however, maintain her working relationship with Brenau University. If you are a Brenau College dance student, you will be contacted with further information. Miss Diane has recommendations for great teachers for all experience levels in many areas of the state. Please contact [email protected] if you would like more information.

And today the stage is quiet....

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who came to support Gainesville Ballet's dancers this weekend! We LOVED getting to perform in front of a live audience!

Sometimes... "the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true." ❤️🌈🩰

Dress rehearsals just flew by, and opening night is tonight! We can't wait to see YOU in the audience!

Friday 4/2 - 3pm & 7pm
Saturday 4/3 - 10am, 2:30pm & 7pm

Visit gainesvilleballet.org for tickets.

📸: Magic Craft Studio

Tinman and Lion are so excited to be starting rehearsals in the theatre today! Only 5 more days until opening night! 🌈🩰

Visit gainesvilleballet.org for tickets.

📸: Magic Craft Studio

Dorothy and Scarecrow are putting the finishing touches on their dances this week! Have you bought your tickets yet?? 🌈

April 2-3, at The Venue at Friendship Springs
Visit gainesvilleballet.org for tickets

📸 credit: Magic Craft Studios

Please visit www.gainesvilleballet.org to purchase tickets! 👠🌈🩰

📷: Magic Craft Studios

Feeling the love with Company One today! 💕💜💕

Today a few of our Company One dancers (and one little brother ☺️) visited the venue location of our upcoming spring production, the Wizard of Oz! For many of our dancers, it will be their first time performing on this stage, and we are getting excited!! 🩰🌈👠

Rehearsals have begun! Looking forward to seeing our dancers on stage again! 🌈👠🩰