Our Business

W.A.B. frequently collaborates with other local not-for-profit organizations such as Corvallis Community Band, Opera Theatre Corvallis and the OSU-Corvallis Symphony on concerts, operettas, and programs presented specifically for local children.

Willamette Apprentice Ballet Inc provides a curriculum based on the Russian style of classical ballet. The basis of this work is the Syllabus, established by Nadine Nicolaeva and Nicolas Legat in 1923.

Today, W.A.B. strives to live up to the standards of high-quality classical ballet established by Ms. Levi. All the dancers in W.A.B., ranging in age from 13-18, attend five or six 1 hr. & 45 min. classes per week, with an additional 1-6 hrs. devoted to rehearsals weekly.

Besides the annual W.A.B. concert at the Majestic in early spring, our biggest production for the year, W.A.B. has started the new tradition of “Shoestring Concerts.” These concerts are produced on a smaller scale and with as low a budget as possible, so that ticket prices can be kept at $5/person for all ages, making W.A.B. concerts even more welcoming and accessible to local audiences. W.A.B. concerts bring good business to the Majestic Theatre and the downtown area. The 2007 “Shoestring Concert” and “La Vie en Rose” (annual spring concert), averaged 225 people per performance, with four performances bringing in over 1,000 people, eager to see quality classical ballet that is family-friendly in terms of content, educational value, and affordability.

Where we came from

The student ballet company, Willamette Apprentice Ballet, was founded by Catherine Levi in 1995. At the time, Ms. Levi was the Advanced-Levels Teacher at the Corvallis Academy of Ballet, and she decided to provide her most advanced students with performance opportunities beyond the annual school recital. Ms. Levi also wanted to bring quality classical ballet performances with low ticket prices to the Corvallis community. From 1995-2004, Ms. Levi directed and choreographed, on average, an annual W.A.B. concert at the Majestic Theatre, most of these concerts also involving other student ballet companies from Portland and Eugene.