HomeMy WebLinkAbout1/26/2023 Item Public Comment, Ballet Theatre SLO
Christian, Kevin
From:blair@bt-slo.org
Sent:Wednesday, January 25, 2023 12:53 PM
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Input for Meeting on Jan. 26, 2023
Attachments:SLO City Arts and Culture Letter, Jan 25 2023.pdf
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Hello SLO City Council,
Attached is a letter from Ballet Theatre San Luis Obispo (BT-SLO) providing input for the Joint Special Meeting of the City
Council and Citizens’ Revenue Enhancement Oversight Commission 2023-25 Financial Plan Process. Arts & Culture are
important to San Luis Obispo. Please let me know if you have any questions.
I plan to attend the Community Forum on Jan. 26 and cast my vote for placing Arts & Culture on the priority list for the city of
San Luis Obispo.
Thank you,
Blair
Blair London
Assistant Director, General Manager
Ballet Theatre San Luis Obispo
3566 S. Higuera St., Suite 207
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805) 440-1439 | BT-SLO.org
1
January 25, 2023 Dear Revenue Enhancement Oversight Commission, This letter is our input for the Joint Special Meeting of the City Council and Citizens’ Revenue Enhancement Oversight Commission 2023-25 Financial Plan Process: Community Forum to be held on January 26, 2023. There is a connection between the Arts and the COVID-19 pandemic. It involves a silver lining from COVID. And there has to be a silver lining to all the hardship we experienced through the COVID years. We must have learned something to improve as human beings. The silver lining involves the concept of “essential workers,” or more generally, what is essential to us as human beings. There were many essential workers who kept our society going through COVID: at grocery stores; in doctor’s offices and hospitals; in every mode of transportation; by keeping the lights on and the heat flowing into our homes. Food, clothing, shelter, transportation, health care – essential. We need to add to this list. We need to include the Arts. Something the pandemic made clear was that we need some aspect of the Arts in our lives to be completely human – to get true satisfaction and joy from life. Sing, paint, play an instrument, draw, sculpt, design, write, create… dance! These are not extra things we do – they are essential.
The Arts are an essential part of our lives. COVID was difficult for us at Ballet Theatre San Luis Obispo (BT-SLO). We struggled through the ever-changing maze of regulations and recommendations. We kept going through it all. What kept our instructors and leadership team going through the darkest times of COVID was the fact that what we were doing at BT-SLO mattered in the lives of so many students and families. What BT-SLO brings to people has value. The Art we create at BT-SLO is indeed essential. And the same can be said for all of the Arts Organizations in the San Luis Obispo area. What we all do matters a great deal. We see that value every day at our ballet school: when a student masters a step, when an adult takes their first ballet class, when students of every age come into the studio genuinely excited to take a ballet class, when a parent is so happy to see their child in class. These are essential parts of a full life.
Arts & Culture need to be a community priority for the city of SLO. COVID took away a lot from all Arts & Culture organizations. But COVID did have a silver lining. It brought into clear focus that Arts & Culture are essential. Food, clothing, shelter… Arts! Yours in the Arts,
Roeh Caramadre, Blair London, Katie Scofield, Theresa Slobodnik
501(c)(3) Nonprofit
ID 20-8393945
4436 Sunflower Way
San Luis Obispo, CA
93401
Artistic Director,
Choreographer
Theresa Slobodnik
Assistant Director,
General Manager
Blair London
Set Designer
John Slobodnik
Graphic Designer
Lauren Finley
Board of Directors
Roeh Caramadre, Blair
London, Katie Scofield