CICB How a Pandemic Made Ballet More Accessible

It has always been our mission at Cleveland Inner City Ballet to make dance education available to as many diverse communities who have been cut off from the arts as possible. We have been very fortunate to offer our services throughout the Greater Cleveland Area. During the 2021 Pandemic lockdown our virtual programs exceeded our expectations. Our virtual programs quickly attracted dancers who (by the pandemic) were in situations of being isolated from the arts. CICB saw our virtual roster grow as we began teaching dancers in other states here in the US and then Internationally. Our social media page grew from 1,500 subscribers to 6,000 in a matter of days. During the lockdown we employed 7 dance instructors, a videographer, volunteers, and created virtual curriculum which would lay the foundation for future programming.

I will never forget the stories from parents I've heard from around the world. Many of them thankful for our services. One Mom describing her family as interracially mixed and, and that she felt her children didn't fit in at local dance studios, where she lived. Another Mom mentioned there were no ballet studios where she lives. And another Mom mentioned that her daughter suffered from anxiety from being lockdown and that our weekly classes brought a sense of stability and comfort to her during a time of uncertainty. These stories and MANY more will stay with me and CICB forever as we strive to continue to press forward in making sure ballet is made more assessable to as many as possible.

Ms. Chanda - Owner / Founding Artistic Director - Cleveland Inner City Ballet