The Texas Ballet Theater raised $21,200 after my article ran last Saturday, but the extra money wasn’t enough. On Wednesday, the dance company announced that it was forced to cancel its trip to China after falling $50,000 short of the money it needed to go on the trip. You can read my follow-up story here:
The Texas Ballet Theater on Wednesday canceled its trip to the China Shanghai International Arts Festival after falling more than $50,000 short in its effort to raise last-minute funding.
For two years, the company had planned to attend the arts festival, where it was scheduled to perform a full-length production of Cleopatra on Oct. 29-30. The company ran into difficulties in the last several months, however, after Texas Ballet Theater officials say they learned from Chinese arts festival leaders that certain costs could not be covered as planned.
These costs included the shipping of scenery within China, flooring material the dancers needed to perform and the cost of sending a conductor to China to make a recording for Cleopatra. Dance company officials said they believe the Olympics were to blame for the financial problems.
Word on the Street 