The Tin Soldier

Although my time with Ottawa Ballet was short – just under two years – it was enough to see us produce two dance tours, and two original productions. The most remarkable of these was The Tin Soldier, an original ballet based on the classic Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, for which we created original music, costumes, and choreography.

Building a ballet from the ground up requires significant funding. Through our innovative “Build a Ballet” program, we broke down the production into its component parts, such as choreography, lighting, set design, etc., and priced out the costs associated with each character in the piece. We then did a targeted marketing campaign matching potential business partners with appropriately-themed sponsorship opportunities. For example, we approached Tinkers Gourmet Cookware to sponsor the character of the Tinker in the ballet. Little by little, we covered the costs of mounting the ballet, and on opening night, our sponsors were thrilled to be able to identify so closely with their part of the production.

Our full dress rehearsal the night before we opened was turned into an invitation-only children’s event, and we reached out to community groups and the Children’s Hospital to identify families to fill the seats. I still remember sitting in the dark that night, finally seeing the entire ballet run through from start to finish, and after all that work, I found myself weeping like a proud mom. Frankly, I have yet to replicate the feeling of immense pride and accomplishment I felt for having been part of creating such a beautiful work of art. As the curtain came down on that first performance, I thought I’d never feel it again. Fortunately, the followup CBC tv production of “The Tin Solder” has become something of a Christmas tradition, so I get to revisit my old friends every year.