Seth Wilson believes there are gifted dancers who may never discover their talent.
The cost of training or even getting to a studio can stand between a child and the chance to dance. At Columbus Dance Theatre, Wilson and his wife, Jaime Kotrba Wilson, are working to open that door.
“There are prodigies out there, like dance prodigies, that never have access to experience whether they are a prodigy or not,” Wilson said.
The company’s artistic director and executive director, respectively, recently joined our Columbus in Color podcast. They discussed their partnership, expanding access to ballet and helping a nearly three-decade-old arts organization grow with Columbus.
From dance partners to company leaders
Wilson grew up in Queens, while Kotrba Wilson grew up in northern Michigan. Their paths crossed at Dance Theatre of Harlem, where they took partnering classes before eventually dancing in its second company.
Their partnership extended beyond the studio, with shared jobs at a dancewear store and on a reality television production.
Financial difficulties at Dance Theatre of Harlem helped bring them to Columbus in 2007. Kotrba Wilson danced with BalletMet for two seasons before joining Wilson at Columbus Dance Theatre.
Financial difficulties at Dance Theatre of Harlem helped bring them to Columbus in 2007. Kotrba Wilson auditioned for BalletMet, where she danced for two seasons. Wilson joined Columbus Dance Theatre, and she later joined him there.
They took the helm in 2018, navigating early challenges and then the COVID-19 pandemic before finding room to develop their vision: contemporary ballet, artistic collaboration and opportunities for dancers to grow beyond performing.
Opening the studio door
Growing up in New York, Wilson had public transportation and numerous opportunities to dance. In Columbus, he said, transportation and tuition can limit access.
Columbus Dance Theatre’s “no child turned away” policy offers tuition on a sliding scale, while families help arrange carpools.
The company also offers scholarships for boys, challenging a stigma Wilson said still discourages participation. Two longtime scholarship recipients were accepted into Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet’s two-year male training program on full scholarships, he said.
Whether students pursue dance professionally or choose another path, Wilson believes the discipline prepares them for life.
Who they see in the studio matters, too.
“Another important thing, I guess, is seeing people that represent you,” Wilson said. “That’s huge.”
Helping new audiences connect with ballet
The couple wants first-time audiences to feel welcome, beginning with a personal greeting and rotating displays by local visual artists at their East Main Street space.
Their “Dancers Making Dances” program pairs visual artists with dancers who choreograph works inspired by their art. Collaborations with live musicians offer another way for audiences to connect.
“That is what I like to do with dance,” Wilson said. “Like let you be able to see the music through movement.”
That effort begins at the entrance to the company’s East Main Street space, where visitors might encounter Wilson or Kotrba Wilson greeting them and a rotating display of work by local visual artists.
For Kotrba Wilson, keeping ballet relevant means experimenting while helping audiences recognize the people behind the technique.
“There’s still a little bit of magic with the pointe shoes, right?” she said. “But then there’s the human part of it.”
Beyond performances and classes, the company’s theater and gallery provide space for other Columbus artists.
Wilson is proud of its growing role as a community arts hub. For Kotrba Wilson, keeping the organization alive is itself an accomplishment− and the foundation for everything they hope to do next.
Trending reporter Amani Bayo can be reached at abayo@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Who gets to dance? Columbus Dance Theatre works to open doors
