Founder of CT Ballet Cites Oddfellows Playhouse as Inspiration

Brett Raphael, the founder and CEO of Connecticut Ballet, based in Hartford, provides Middletown Patch an inside scoop on the free public performance of the Summer Dance Caravan at Middlesex Community College Aug. 7 at 5 p.m. in an exclusive Q&A session.

Q: What pieces will be performed for the Summer Dance Caravan Middlesex Community College performance? What should spectators expect?

A: Our repertoire is broad, it is not just classical, so we are putting together a program that is appealing to almost anyone who enjoys dance. The Summer Dance Caravan features dramatic, classical and contemporary ballet — featuring "Paquita," a Spanish-style classical ballet, "Indian Summer," a dramatic piece taking place on the eve of the stock market crash in 1929 and "Pulse," a contemporary piece featuring Japanese music.

Q: I consider Middletown a community arts Mecca, so to speak, with so many nonprofits aiming to provide the surrounding area with ease of access to the arts, but I must ask: Why Middletown?

A: We are coming into Middletown for many reasons. As the first time our summer caravan as a whole conducts a state-wide tour, we couldn't leave Middletown out. We have preformed there periodically in the past for Middletown Dances, a program about a decade ago that was funded by the Wesleyan Center for the Arts, and have worked with the schools in Portland and the Greater Middletown area.  

We are partnering up with many community organizations including the Green Street Arts Center, Oddfellows Playhouse, Middlesex County Chamber of Commerce, Middlesex Community College and the Middletown Commission on the Arts to get the community excited and serve as a catalyst for others to become involved in the community arts scene.

Q: Your dedication to dance, ballet in particular, is longstanding. I'm sure the inception of Connecticut Ballet was not a simple process or the road most young choreographers would have taken; that being said, what inspired you to found such a prestigious ballet organization that serves such a large population?

A: My absolute passion for dance and ballet drove me. I think I was destined to create a vehicle to both choreograph and produce. I danced with the company myself. It was a vehicle for me to work with others and bring into being a larger institution. Through years and years of nonstop work and dedication, Connecticut Ballet was founded. 

Thankfully, a lot of people have supported us along the way: from the PTO mom who wants bring us into her school to private donors and corporate entities who want to put their name on a residency or program, we have been very fortunate.

As I stopped performing principle dance, my focus shifted to the organization and our connections. I still have the newspaper clipping over 20 years ago about Oddfellows Playhouse receiving a major state capital grant to renovate the building. I was truly inspired by their commitment to the arts. As I have watched other models grow, things come and go, but I hope that others see our model and become inspired to have a festival in their town.

Q: What are your day-to-day responsibilities as the artistic director and CEO?

A: Every day is literally different. I have many hats and I am currently in the process fundraising, casting and auditioning, planning, and finalizing arrangements with Bushnell and Stamford Center for the Arts. It really never ends, but the immediate priority now is providing the public the highest quality performances possible, and that is what we are offering in Middletown.

Q: What is your advice to all of our aspiring dancers?

A: My most direct advice would be to go for it: get the sound training you need to perform at a conservatory or institution, build connections with those in professional dance and just go for it. With an increase in obesity in America, dance provides a great outlet for exercise and is extremely disciplined. Dance builds self-esteem, physical strength, masculinity and femininity and creates a more rounded individual.

For information, visit mxcc.commnet.edu.

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