The Party’s Over….but not for….Rachel S. Moore: Executive Director of American Ballet Theatre. “It’s more like going home.”
The young woman greeting me in her cozy corner office at 890 Broadway was Rachel Moore, a former member of ABT presently chief executive of the entire operation, "a forty million dollar corporation," she said, not quite believing it herself. Moore sat facing me her back straight, her reddish hair cropped and framing her open smiling face. She was every inch the executive with a tight hourly schedule and a full appointment book, but despite the heady title and the workload that went with it, I could sense Moore's heart still beat to the timing of a pas de bouree and the precise footwork of the changement. Inside the handsome business suit there still lived a dancer.
ABT has become her home again as it was in early eighties (1984-1988) when she was on the stage of the Met with her corps pals, standing in B-plus behind Cynthia Gregory, Martine Van Hamel, or Gelsey Kirkland. That was a period in ABT's history more remembered for its difficulties than its achievements. Since 2004 when the California dancer made headlines taking over an organization that had been somewhat mired in dissension, Moore has held a steady grip on the major American classical company in the U.S.
During her corps years Moore suffered a devastating injury to her foot. She thought it might be cured by surgery and a long rehab. Perplexed and scared she began to think about her future beyond dance. She had never taken the tests necessary for admittance to college, (what ballerina does?) and thought perhaps now was the time to buy the books and prep for these tests. She hobbled to the library, her foot in a cast, studied hard, and passed them. A special program for older students at Brown University intrigued her, but the dancer part of her was not ready to give up. Once more she returned to ABT and the rigors of a dancing life including more painkillers and frustration. Facing less than optimistic doctors, she decided against more surgery and another long rehab. "It was too iffy," she recalled, "and I would again be missing so much dancing time. I chose college, applied, and was admitted to Brown University to major in philosophy."
She elaborated on the unusual choice of a major. "I know, a ballet dancer with a philosophy degree didn't seem a good bet or a lucrative one," she mused. "However, I learned how to write, how to think about ethics and politics, and found myself deeply committed to the subject of what constituted a just society. Also philosophy is a common path to law school which is where I thought I was heading."
"A just society?" It would seem that ballet and "a just society" are more like a mixture of oil and water. How would Moore justify these two forces and come up with a satisfying singular solution? "I am a great believer in the power of the arts to transform thinking," she said, in a straightforward and convincing tone. And her time to prove her theory was about to begin.
Armed with a bachelor's degree from Brown, a Phi Beta Kappa honors award, and some financial help from television commercial residuals, she entered Columbia University, matriculating for a Masters in Arts Administration. Meanwhile during the summer vacations from school she had gathered valuable experience while being involved in advisory capacities to various arts committees. In 1998 she and her husband moved to Boston where she became Managing Director of Ballet Theatre of Boston. Then moved on to Project STEP, a classical music school for students of color. "This was so rewarding," she recalled. "The kids are educated from day one on, given instruments and lessons, and we watch them develop into well- educated musicians."
Around that time Boston Ballet was going through a rough patch and the new CEO created a senior level position in charge of all the education and training programs at BB, which included the Boston Ballet School. "I was called in to take that job. He felt education was extremely important and wanted a senior administrator to lead that portion of the Boston Ballet." She was happily working for Boston Ballet when she received a call from New York to interview for the Executive Director position at ABT. She smiled, recalling how she had dismissed the possibility without any serious thought. " My main goal at those interviews was not to embarrass myself."
ABT pursued Moore despite her skepticism about her chances. "They flew me in from Boston for a final interview then presented me with the job. I could hardly believe it. I knew everyone. At one time we had all taken classes together in New York with Maggie Black. I knew Kevin (McKenzie, the artistic director) who was a principal when I was in the corps, and -- well, I realized it would be like coming home. This is my fourth year, and though I view myself as a business executive, ballet is something I have always loved. Right now the artistic decisions are Kevin's. The finances are my concern. I don't miss the anxiety of performing, but I still wish I had time to take class, incognito of course."
On May 26th American Ballet Theatre had its first reunion in its 67 years of existence. Dancers from all over the world came to Chez Josephine for pre-performance cocktails, then on to a Met performance and a post performance dinner. Over 300 dancers flocked to the stage for a massive curtain call and a flood of balloons that descended on their smiling yet teary faces. It was an occasion for Rachel Moore to reconnect with her old dancer friends. Everyone knew her, she knew everyone, but as with most of the partygoers who had not seen each other for a good while, it took some searching down memory lane to put the right face with the correct name.
"We were all so young when we started our professional careers, and many of us 'grew up' at ABT." Moore recalled. "It was the high school reunion many of us never had. I think it is important for ABT to honor its past and to recognize the many people that were part of making it the great company it is today."