DANCE : California Ballet Company, Founder Survive 2nd Decade

A 20th anniversary may not seem like a monumental achievement, but in the precarious world of dance, it is tantamount to a minor miracle. Only a handful of American dance troupes have remained intact for two decades. And you might be hard-pressed to find even one that has endured without a strong base of support from the critics or the community. Not until now, that is.

This month, San Diego’s California Ballet Company joins that small circle of survivors. And Maxine Mahon, founder of the school-based ballet company, is still around to take her bows for the troupe’s longevity. The resourceful director, who prides herself on being “tenacious,” has fought off the slings and arrows of outraged critics and repeated attempts from the community to oust her from her post. Adversity only seemed to fuel her determination to tough it out.

“I’m just stubborn, I guess, but I never give up. Most people would get tired, but there was no doubt in my mind that I’d be here after 20 years,” Mahon said in a recent interview. “I’m a child of this community and I wanted to make it here.”

The company started almost by accident back in 1968, when Mahon presented a dance festival that ended up in the red.

“We never planned it to be permanent, but we got so much encouragement that although we lost a lot of money we decided to go ahead with the company,” Mahon said. “The prospects were good, and we had learned something about budgeting and marketing by then.”

It was rough going over the years with sparse audiences for many of the performances and no angels in the wings to keep the company afloat.

“Our company never had any big gifts,” Mahon said. “It was built on people giving $50 or less.”

Nevertheless, Mahon managed to bring in guest artists, like the celebrated Edward Villella who danced the Cavalier in the company’s 1971 production of “The Nutcracker.” Aside from a couple of paid principals, however, the company still consists entirely of non-professionals who rose through the ranks of the California Ballet School. Over the years, more than 30 of these homegrown dancers have gone on to bigger and better things.

On Saturday evening, the Cal Ballet will celebrate in style at a gala performance, with full orchestral accompaniment, slated for the Civic Theatre. And Mahon has imported a Soviet choreographer and ex-Bolshoi Ballet danseur, Mikhail Lavrovsky, to stage a world premiere for the occasion.

Mahon has beefed up the roster for this anniversary concert by bringing the talented French-born guest danseur Daniel Meja to town to partner Denise Dabrowski, the troupe’s prima ballerina, in Lavrovsky’s “The Novice.”

Mahon, principal choreographer for the company, has designed a new piece of her own for the performance. “Just for Fun”--the title says it all--is a showpiece for the latest crop of Cal Ballet dancers.

Also on tap for this performance is “For Flora,” a tribute to the company created by associate director Charles Bennett, and a surprise addition, Bennett’s version of the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers classic “Night and Day.” The live dancing for this duet from Cole Porter’s musical, “The Gay Divorcee,” will be superimposed against old film footage of the movie stars.

Bennett is restaging “Albinoni Adagio,” a pas de deux that snared top honors in two international competitions. The modern ballet will feature the original dancers, Marlene Jones-Wallace and Douglas Hevenor, recreating their roles.

Jones-Wallace and Hevenor are not the only Cal Ballet alumni returning home for the gala performance. Kevin Engle and Adam Sage, both of Ballet West, will fill a big gap for the troupe.

“We’ve always been short on male dancers,” Mahon said, “so we’re really lucky to have them back.”

Engle and Sage were enjoying star status at their alma mater during the rehearsal period.

“It’s been eight years since I’ve danced with the company,” Sage said. “I couldn’t afford to stay here, and I’ve always wondered what it would be like to come back. It’s great. I feel I’ve had some of the best training available at this school. What really helps is that you get exposure on-stage all during your schooling. It’s not as common in other companies, but Maxine always used four or five casts so that all the kids would get stage experience.

Engle echoed those sentiments, adding: “The other boys in the corps de ballet at Ballet West don’t have nearly the stage experience I have. Here, you can get a chance to perform even if you’re not perfect. Other companies don’t offer that chance. The solo and principal work I did here for Maxine was invaluable.”

Through his interpreter, Lavrovsky too talked in glowing terms about the American company he was visiting for the first time.

“Maxine has done a first rate job with the company,” he said. “They are very well trained, and their technique is very similar to ours. I’m particularly impressed with Denise Dabrowski. She would be a star anywhere , even in the Soviet Union.”

What does Lavrovsky think of the California Ballet’s 20th anniversary?

“It would be considered a great milestone anywhere. It’s a very big accomplishment,” he said.