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We often hear words of encouragement to eat local and shop local, but Ballet Tucson makes a very valid argument: we should also watch local.
“There have been so many studies on how shopping small and shopping local really positively impacts the economy and it’s the same for the arts,” Ballet Tucson’s artistic director Margaret Mullin says. “Investing in local is really powerful.”
While non-local troupes are putting on “The Nutcracker,” so is Ballet Tucson — and Margaret knows the performances by the Tucson company are worthy of your attendance.
“Our dancers are honestly exceptional and I promise I’m not just biased. They are really, really talented individuals,” Margaret says. “I have colleagues who I’ve brought in from all over the country and people who work internationally with top ballet companies who come in to work with our artists on various pieces that we present and they are always blown away. They’re like, ‘I can’t believe you have these dancers here. This is fantastic.’ People want to come back year after year to work with them.”
Beyond the talent, something Margaret stresses is that the folks behind Ballet Tucson — from the dancers to the crew to the ushers — live and work here in Tucson. They eat at our restaurants, they drive on our roads, they pay their TEP bills just like we do. They’re part of this community and reinvesting locally.
Ballet Tucson is home to 32 dancers who are part of every performance you see on stage. The dance company doesn’t host auditions per show — the dancers know each other, they trust each other and they work with each other all year long.
“We’ve really received a lot of compliments in the last four years on how the company has grown and I think a lot of that is not only their talent but also their relationships to each other and our relationship with them,” Margaret says. “I think there’s only so much you can accomplish when you don’t know people that well so for us to really know them and for them to know each other, I think it takes our work to another level.”
While some of Ballet Tucson’s shows may borrow sets and costumes from productions outside of Arizona, Margaret calls their version of “The Nutcracker” — which takes place Dec. 19-21 in partnership with Tucson Symphony Orchestra — an “all-Tucson” production. That’s thanks in part to Joe McGrath, a Juilliard grad and co-founder of Tucson’s Rogue Theatre.
“He actually did all of our set designs so we have these really big sets that are not only designed locally but built locally,” Margaret says. “It’s a really, truly Tucson production. You have the classic, iconic story but the heart of it was built here. I think that’s what makes ours unique.”
Like our homegrown restaurants that compete with Olive Garden and our artist-led shops that compete with Target, Ballet Tucson finds itself having to compete with the hefty marketing budgets of international touring groups that perform on Tucson stages.
“We have a small budget but because we’re also a nonprofit, we’re dedicated to putting our money back into the mission of the organization, which is exposing Tucson to great dance and that doesn’t just mean performances,” Margaret says.
What that does mean is a slew of programs that include:
- Scholarships and financial aid for classes at The School of Ballet Tucson
- Ballet education at Title I schools
- Free pop-up performances in the community
- Free tickets that go to kids and their families of Title I schools
“Our income really goes back into all of that programming. It’s not just hoarding it for a marketing budget, so it can be tricky to compete,” Margaret says. “I will say for us, I think the only reason we’re really able to compete is thanks to (the community). I grew up in Tucson and I was gone for a while, but I came back and one of the things I really love about Tucson is there’s such a sense of community here. Honestly, word of mouth I think is more powerful than any other advertising. We can buy 50 ads and it could still not make as much of an impact as you, as someone your friends trust, telling them how much you enjoyed your experience.”
Beyond “The Nutcracker” and Ballet Tucson’s four other signature performances, the dance company operates in Tucson year-round. There are events like tea with the Sugar Plum Fairy and a ballet-and-beer collaboration with Crooked Tooth Brewing Co. It’s Ballet Tucson’s way of reminding the community that they’re here. (Margaret is especially excited about Ballet Tucson’s “Desert Voices” production premiering Feb. 27 through March 1 in collaboration with Tucson Desert Song Festival, Tucson Guitar Society and Tohono Chul.)
“I’m so amazed by how much Tucson has grown and changed in a positive way. Having lived in Seattle for a long time, I saw the big corporate shift that happened there. I think it’s been really cool to see Tucson experience so many shifts but really strive to hang onto its true persona. It’s remained a community-minded place,” Margaret says. “Our company should reflect the tone of the city as welcoming and engaging and collaborative, where people really feel like they’re having fun with us and that there’s a lot to experience with us.”
Love at first pirouette
Margaret fell in love with ballet when she was just 4 years old. She calls it love at first sight.
“My entire life from the time I was 4, I just absolutely loved it and I had a mother who was very encouraging — a single mom who did everything she could to make it possible for me to pursue a dance education,” she says. “I was a work-scholarship kid so I scrubbed toilets to pay for ballet class. There were highs and lows but I genuinely believe in the power of the arts.”
Over the years, she’s seen that power first-hand as she’s watched her husband and friends — people who are far removed from the dance world — feel positively impacted after seeing a show.
“Whatever was happening in their day, whatever was happening with family or politics, just having a real in-person moment of live art was very, very transformative for them,” she says. “Getting to constantly see it not only from my own love but through their eyes and seeing the impact that arts performances can have has kept me going and going and eventually wanting to run a ballet company.”
Margaret trained at The School of Ballet Tucson from age 8 to 18 and went on to be a Soloist dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle for 14 seasons. It all came full circle in 2022 when she was named Ballet Tucson’s artistic director.
“I spent years as a guest instructor so I got to watch generations of students grow up in the school. It’s always been such a kind group and I really wanted to see a ballet company grow and thrive in Tucson,” she says. “Now I’m in the position where because I was a guest teacher, I actually have an employee now who’s a professional dancer in our company and I remember teaching her when she was only 9. I have another now who is in our apprentice program who I remember teaching when she was 7. I’ve been able to see some of these people actually grow up. It’s cool to craft the direction of the company, but I’m also really invested in the people.”
Ballet aside, Margaret loves Tucson and was happy to be welcomed back.
“I always really enjoyed Tucson and watching it change over time, it’s a really cool city that I think doesn’t get enough credit for how cool it is — or maybe it’s starting to,” she says.
🩰 Ballet Tucson’s “The Nutcracker” runs Dec. 19-21 at Linda Ronstadt Music Hall. Tucson Love Letter readers can get 15% off their tickets by entering code SUGAR in the “unlock” button on Ticketmaster. Get tickets here and find information about other upcoming Ballet Tucson shows here! 🩰
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