Anatomy of A Dance Company’s Collapse

The folding of the Orange County, California-based Ballet Pacifica was a long time coming, as a series of mistakes and bad decisions made the collapse almost inevitable. “As the board of directors struggled to fulfill its fiduciary responsibilities, it canceled repertory performances, cut short the professional dancers’ contracts, and even gave away its new choreography workshop.” It was a classic example of an arts group being run like a for-profit business, and it failed to take into account public attitudes.