Dayton Performing Arts Alliance seeks to instill a new hope for residents with music and dance

The new season for the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA) offers exciting performances from the ballet, philharmonic orchestra and opera, plus new initiatives to ensure more people can enjoy the cultural experiences.

For the People

Brandon Ragland is the new artistic director for the Dayton Ballet. He was a company dancer with Alabama Ballet, then Louisville Ballet from 2010 to 2023 before taking the helm at the second-oldest ballet company in the United States.

“My goal and vision for the company is to bring in new choreographers and new works while continuing to uphold the company’s classical ballet foundation,” Ragland says. “Dayton Ballet has a strong and rich history within the Dayton community, and I look forward to building on its foundation and ushering Dayton Ballet into a new era.”

Ensuring accessibility is a high priority for DPAA. The arts organization partnered with the Dayton Metro Library this past season to launch a program that offers a limited quantity of steeply discounted tickets to library patrons. The goal of the initiative is to connect new audiences with fine arts.

“Our fundamental conviction is that the arts are for everyone,” says Kathleen Clawson, Dayton Opera’s artistic director. “We work hard to break down barriers that keep people from being able to experience our artforms.”

In addition to discounted ticket programs, DPAA’s Artists in Residence takes opera to “where people are,” offering performances in libraries, schools, senior centers and other public spaces that provide free community programs.

Artistic Director and Conductor of the Dayton Philharmonic Neal Gittleman says creating pathways to access the arts isn’t just a humanitarian pursuit—there are economic reasons to support the arts, as well. “The arts touch our innermost emotions and can inspire us and lift us up when we need it,” Gittleman says. “On a more practical level, a vibrant arts scene makes a small city like Dayton more attractive to people who are thinking about relocating. This helps employers recruit more people and makes [the Dayton region] a great place to live.”

Challenges Ahead

The performers themselves come from a variety of different backgrounds. Gittleman says about half of philharmonic musicians live in the greater Dayton area with the rest residing nearby in Cincinnati, Columbus and even farther.

“They’re all professionals, having trained a great deal,” Gittleman says. “Some have been with us since September; others have been with us for decades. Our former timpani player retired at the end of last season after playing with the DPO for 62 years!”

Ragland says one of DPAA’s challenges is to recruit talented musicians and performers, and paying a competitive wage that will ensure Dayton’s arts scene remains vibrant.

“Our dancers are professionals and deserve compensation for their talents on stage,” he says. “Believe it or not, ballets are not cheap. Not only are we obligated to pay our dancers a fair wage, but the choreographers, light and set designers, rehearsal assistants, physical therapists, stage managers, costume designers and dressers get paid, too.”

The organization cannot make ends meet on individual patrons and subscribers. Sponsorship and other forms of subsidized funding can help offset additional expenses involved with managing and operating a robust performing arts organization.

Clawson started her role with the opera at the onset of the pandemic, but still maintains her faith that the Dayton community will rally around the DPAA.

“Taking the helm of a company during COVID is not for the faint of heart, but this amazing community has been supportive,” she says. “I don’t overcome any of the challenges alone, but we are thriving due to the passion of our patrons, donors, our board and the staff of the DPAA.”