Competition against businesses is common, but it's not often a battle ground is drawn between local dance studios. Two ballet companies will soon be located in the same building. Buffalo City Ballet is accusing Neglia Ballet Artists of creating unhealthy competition.
The familiar music of the battle scene of the Nutcracker Prince and the Mouse King. This fall two dance companies will be rehearsing for their Nutcrackers shows in the Tri-Main Building. But the Buffalo City Ballet says Buffalo's dance market is too 'small' to have two ballet companies operating in the same building.
"You never hear of two ballet groups in the same building because you're competing with each other for student or whatever it maybe,” said Marvin Askew, Executive Director of Buffalo City Ballet.
Askew sat in his dance studio wiping sweat from his forehead after just completing a dance class.
Askew serves as Executive Director of Buffalo City Ballet at the Tri-Main Building. It’s been the home of the dance studio for 20-years.
Askew tells WBFO News he was 'blindsided' in learning a few months ago that Neglia Ballet is moving to Tri-Main. He accuses Neglia of planning the move in 'secret'.
"I know if I stay here this group will die. The two of us will be hitting the same target people for funding,” Askew stated.
Both dance companies receive arts funding from Erie County and The New York State Council for the Arts.
“I don't think the reason for not getting funding is because we are in the same building. Currently we are only two-miles away from each other,” said Heidi Halt, Executive Director of Neglia.
Halt and her husband, Sergio Neglia, founded the company 21-years ago. The lease space at the Pierce Arrow building on Elmwood where they've leased space.
Back in January, we reportedthey finally made plans to move out of the building and to the Tri-Main Building due to an uncertain future at the Elmwood building and a chance to create new dance space. They’ve been searching the last five years for new space.
Halt tells WBFO News they had good reason to quietly search for a new location.
“We knew we were kind of short of a time bomb as far as our current location. The only reason we didn't make it public because we knew at any time our landlord could kick us out the door and the place wouldn't be ready for us and then we would end up with nothing,” Halt explained.
Still, Askew sent out a recent public Facebook post making a community plea saying it's 'imperative' to get his story out and created a capital campaign to move so he can build a new studio. He accuses Neglia of a plan to 'drive' his dance studio out of the building.
“I’m getting cut out and it’s something I’m going to have to deal with until we are successful in relocating. You ever one thinks we’re are going to be singing Kumbayah and dancing together, you know, the girls in their tutus – like one big happy family. That’s not realistic,” Askew said.
“I mean my one regret is I do wish that I had spoken to him about it prior then he found out and it didn’t work out that way. He sent an email, said he was upset,” Halt replied.
But Askew says the ill-effects are already happening to his dance studio and has lost students to Neglia. Ashew said a student initially cross-trained at Neglia and then left Buffalo City Ballet where she started dancing at the age of three.
“To me it was a strategic thought that was put into it. That’s very hurtful to me who had dedicated my life to that person, since she was three. I have sponsored her. I have given her money toward her campaign,” remarked Askew.
“I see that he did say we were offering his students free classes which is totally untrue. As far as I know, we have a family, an older girl and two younger sisters that are studying with us. They had no idea we were coming to the Tri-Main. They came to us. We did not solicit anybody,” responded Halt.
The Buffalo City Ballet mission is designed to train young dancers serious about 'obtaining a dance career or entering a professional dance college. It was established as Buffalo Inner City Ballet in 1972 with a focus on helping inner city youth. Askew later developed Buffalo City Ballet as a company to showcase the talents of student of color and help develop pre-professional dancers.
Neglia, which hosts both a company and conservatory, is also pre-professional and professional training for local students. Neglia is planning to move into the new space at the Tri-Main sometime in September.
In the end, you might argue they have different missions and different levels of ballet talent
“I think if you have quality in your work, people will support you,” Halt stated.
“And the think is, not everyone, you know when they graduate, they’re going to dance professionally. You know I have some who became doctors, you know, nurses, pharmacists and they all come back and say what a big impact I had on them, even though they did not dance. It’s not always about the dancing, but the mark you leave on them as a person,” described Askew.
