The ballet company will celebrate its 40th year with an anniversary gala Oct. 1, and ballet leaders promise a fiscally conservative season full of flair.

"We are probably in the best financial shape the organization has been in a long time," said Tony Caparelli, the ballet's chief operating and financial officer.

The Oakland Ballet had been in financial trouble since its fall 2002 season, when disappointing "Nutcracker" ticket sales hurt an already thin budget. Despite pleas for better attendance and more donations, attendance fell short of expectations.

At the time, half of the ballet's budget was covered by ticket sales and season subscriptions while the other half was supported by foundation and state grants, private and corporate donations.

Donations from business to non-profit organizations plunged across the country after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and, in turn, financial gifts to the Oakland Ballet shrunk.

By the end of the 2003 season, the ballet's $1.7 million budget plan was nearly $250,000 in the red. Ballet leaders decided to cancel the 2004 season to save money and focus on finding ways to keep the institution alive.

Jennifer Duston, Oakland East Bay Symphony executive director, said all of Oakland suffered with the city's ballet company — and its annual "Nutcracker" performance — gone for a year.

"The city was not quite as bright without the ballet this year," she said. "We are all keeping our fingers crossed they come back strong and healthy and successful and can go from there."

The organization pulled its way out of financial ruin last year during its "Keep Us Dancing!" campaign, which raised more than $500,000. The money, which came in slowly at first, paid the ballet's deficit and provided a nest-egg reserve for this coming season.

Ballet Executive Director Lee Halterman said the campaign helped ballet leaders identify a strong support base in Oakland and beyond. The company has done an analysis on how it is perceived and how it should change to attract even more community support.

"One data point that was clear is the community is excited about the diversity of programming and that's what they are looking forward to us coming back to do," he said.

Changing performance

Diversity has been the center of ballet artistic director Karen Brown's vision since she joined the Oakland Ballet in 2000. She envisions doing away with the traditional "Nutcracker" performance in the coming years and presenting a more timely, multicultural holiday production.

In the meantime, company will present its first performances of the season — Eugene Loring's "Billy the Kid," excerpts from "Les Biches" and "Les Noces" — at Calvin Simmons Theatre. The Oakland Ballet also is commissioning new work to perform, details of which leaders say will be announced soon.

The ballet will bring back the "Nutcracker" at the Paramount in December, possibly accompanied by the Oakland East Bay Symphony. The symphony accompanied the program for years until 2003 when budget cuts forced the ballet to perform the Christmas holiday classic to recorded music instead of live.

The 40th Anniversary Gala will be held at the downtown Oakland Marriott Hotel Oct. 1. Call (510) 452-9288 for more information.

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