Having the opportunity to intern with the country’s national ballet company has been an unexpected dream come true. Coming from a theatre background, I have been completely immersed into the dance world with my time at ABT, and I love it! I had heard wonderful things about ABT from others which got me really excited to start working with this wonderful company. About two months into the internship, I have gotten experiences that have proven to be very valuable for future careers. Plus, I have seen some of the world’s best dancers rehearse just a few doors down from my desk.
We have just concluded the fall season here at ABT, and as the membership intern, I was at a lot of the ballets offering people information about purchasing a membership with the company. This was by far my favorite part about working for ABT because I was able to directly speak to patrons from all around the world, hear their experiences with ABT, and learn about their love of dance. I met a woman from Germany who was in the city for work and happened to get a ticket for a performance. She came to me after the show and said she was going to the box office to buy another ticket because of how much she enjoyed herself. Another mother and daughter were from Alabama and came to New York specifically for an ABT performance. The daughter was a dancer, and ABT was her favorite company; she was so excited to finally have the opportunity to see them perform live. Seeing the excitement in the audience members, got me even more excited and made me even more appreciative to have this amazing opportunity.
In addition to speaking with people from around the world, I was also able to talk to longtime patrons of ABT; a handful of them have been involved with the company since before I was born. This fact really showed me how special ABT was to the community; to have such an overwhelming amount of support over a long time span, clearly means the company is doing things right. I heard so many stories about how the company has transformed over the years and different works they have seen performed at the Koch and Met. These long time patrons were just as excited for the performances as the five-year-old who was seeing her first ballet.
Working in membership means it is important to build relationships with the patrons. They have done so much for us, and I now have a larger appreciation for the work that goes on behind the scenes to make current members happy, as well as, cultivate new members. The staff takes so much time and truly cares about the people who are able to help create the magic that ABT has. I have not had the chance to work in a development role before working with ABT, and this internship has given me hope that there are so many people out there who still believe how fundamental the arts are. The patrons and staff in the membership department are invaluable assets to the company, and I am so thankful I had the opportunity, even if it is just for a few months, to work with the American Ballet Theatre.
Gillian Curry
Membership Intern
Fall 2018
abtinterns 
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