It’s almost fitting that I’m ending my internship where I began: on this very blog. After having heard about this internship from a friend, I decided to apply as the Development Assistant Intern at American Ballet Theatre to gain professional experiences and learn more about the cultivation of an art form. What culminated to my first day at 890 Broadway, riding up a quaint, manually-operated elevator and sitting at a desk under posters of famed ballets and dancers, were jittery fingers scrolling through the accounts of previous interns who only increased my desire to be a part of ABT.
And now here I am: concluding my final week at ABT, where my eyes have been opened to a whole world that I have only ever seen on stage and was only previously more interested in its scores. Whether it was running into dancers who I had just conducted researches on for projects in the hallways of the 3rd floor, or learning more about ABT and how it operates behind the stage in projects that I am given that are challenging yet incredibly informative and educational, it has all been such an amazing whirlwind of an experience.
There was always a certain sort of delight in simply running the mail machine to send out acknowledgement letters for gifts made to doing researches on prospective donors even if it sounds less than exciting. But it was part of a bigger picture that made the performances possible on stage. And there is a lot that goes on before that can happen, and a lot that ticket sales do not cover, and I learned all of that and so more here at ABT. I can say, for certain, that attending a ballet performance at Palais Garnier under the frescoes of Chagall was an incredible experience, but getting to sit in orchestra seats at the David H. Koch Theater with pride that I helped play a part in making the performances happen on stage is so much better.
Janet Cho
Development Assistant Intern
Fall 2018
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