Dance has been a huge part of my life since before I can remember, and after moving to NYC for college, I dreamed about spending a summer interning with ABT. After lots of prep on my application and interview, I was ecstatic to get an offer to join the Special Events team! When we were told the internship would be fully virtual, I was frustrated, as you can imagine. I was also grateful, however, as I knew it would be a good opportunity for me to learn a new way forward.
Luckily, I had the pleasure of working with two of the most intelligent, eloquent and supportive mentors, Fallon Sullivan and Megan Stahlberg. Despite not being able to work in person at 890 Broadway, Megan and Fallon made me feel included by letting me be “in the room” of many zoom meetings every week. These meetings were an amazing opportunity for me to learn how the Special Events team works within ABT internally and with partners externally. I experienced first hand the strategy and operations of Events within a non-profit, and I am indebted to Megan and Fallon for granting me that exposure and for supporting me through this non-traditional intern experience.
I quickly noticed two phrases used at ABT that all individuals and teams used to shape their decisions. There was a heavy emphasis on being America’s National Ballet Company, and especially within light of the BLM movement, how we can work to represent, include, and welcome the diversity that makes up the country. There was also a lot of focus on ABT’s mission statement ofreaching the widest possible audience.
In my second to last week, a full length recording of Manon, performed at the Metropolitan Opera House in 2007, was offered to our donors. When looking over the analytics of the video on Vimeo, I noticed that the ballet had been viewed in over 30 countries. Scrolling through the names of countries I was amazed to see such variety: Japan, Singapore, Israel, Bulgaria, Puerto Rico and South Africa, just to name a few. I knew ABT was reaching the widest possible audience, literally spanning the globe. As Fallon Sullivan, Events Manager, mentioned “Virtual events are the future of ABT Special Events.” These viewers were able to experience the magic of ABT without having to travel to the Met. It was really special to feel that I had a role in strengthening ABT’s mission, even during the uncertainty of a global pandemic.
I cannot express how grateful I am for my time at ABT. Thank you to everyone who has made the experience unforgettable, and thank you to Megan, Fallon, and the whole development team for showing me what resilience, humility and graciousness looks like when working through troubling times.
Jane Tegeler
Special Events Intern
Summer 2020
abtinterns 
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