BalletMet opened its spring production “For the Love of Dance!” on March 20 at the Davidson Theatre in Columbus, pairing the triple-bill run with a community relief effort in partnership with YWCA Columbus. For all performances through March 28, audiences are encouraged to bring personal hygiene donations — including shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion — which BalletMet collects and routes to YWCA Columbus for distribution to families in emergency housing.

The program features three works: “Seven Sonatas” by choreographer Alexei Ratmansky, “Ignite” by Spanish choreographer Juanjo Arqués, and “Divide & Conquer,” a world premiere by BalletMet dancer and choreographer Leiland Charles. Charles created the piece to explore emotional compartmentalization and burnout, using identical masks that dancers wear at the outset and remove to reveal individual expressions. “It’s inspired by instances of compartmentalization in our kind of everyday, day-to-day lives and the mix of emotions that can come with that,” Charles said.

YWCA Columbus operates a 50-room Family Center providing shelter, meals, and support services to unhoused families. Alexa Molitor, annual giving manager for the organization, described the facility as “a place where they can get three healthy meals a day and a warm, secure place to sleep.” The partnership marks BalletMet’s effort to connect its performances to direct community needs in central Ohio.

Source: 10TV Columbus