Last winter and spring Berks County arts organizations were going to be participating in a Celebration of Women in the Arts, giving much attention to the women trailblazers in all genres of art. Due to COVID-19, many events and performances had to be either canceled or postponed, Berks Ballet Theatre’s 2020 spring performance being one of them. Having entered our 45th Company Season, still in unprecedented times, we wanted to celebrate our founder Carol Ennis. Carol founded both the school (what is now Berks Ballet Theatre Conservatory of Dance) and the Company and was an integral part of both organizations until her retirement in 2012. Current BBT Artistic Director, Kelly Barber interviewed Carol recently to find out details on her dance career and what led her to start Berks Ballet Theatre. We continue to celebrate Carol and all the women in the arts! 

Kelly: Can you tell us about your background and dance training?

Carol: I began studying classical ballet around age 12. I was taking class in Philadelphia and studying once a week with Anthony Tudor. There were not a lot of professional ballet companies at this time, this was pre-PA Ballet. I studied at Jacob’s Pillow at age 14, got to perform with the Philadelphia Opera at the Academy of Music and on local TV shows in Philadelphia. In high school, I performed locally with Reading Civic Opera. 

Kelly: How did you come to open up your own studio?

Carol: I began teaching in my parent’s basement while attending Albright College. I started choreographing for local shows and teaching for other people, which in turn made me more established in the community. I officially opened my own studio at the Mt. Penn Fire Company around 1965-66. I had 35 students coming twice a week and then in the second year, I was up to 70 students. I then moved to a space on Perkiomen Avenue in Mt. Penn and had about 100 students. It was at this location that Miss Marguerite started teaching for me. I was there for ten years and then moved to 1701 Fairview Street. 

Kelly: And that’s the studio I grew up in, starting in 1985! So after opening up your own studio, what gave you the idea to create a pre-professional ballet company? 

Carol: I wanted to find ways for the students to perform more and have more options. I felt it was a necessity for the dancers and was looking to give them better places to perform. In 1976 I created La Petite Ballet (which was renamed Berks Ballet Theatre in 1980). This was during the Bicentennial and there were a lot of celebrations going on in the community, which the dancers could perform at. That year we presented our first production of The Nutcracker, with very little money, no sets, and basic costuming. But there was a lot of hope and enthusiasm for the production. In 1977, Robert Sheridan joined the staff and helped to mount our second Nutcracker production. The Nutcracker productions kept growing year after year, and with more support, we were able to move from performing in high schools to the Rajah Theater and then eventually from taped music to having the Reading Symphony Orchestra with us. 

Kelly: Describe the arts scene in Reading in the late ’70s when you started the Company. 

Carol: At that time there was a real struggle to get things going. Reading Civic Opera existed and Genesius Theatre was starting around the same time. But not many people were willing to invest money in the Company. Some people felt it wasn’t something the community needed. 

Kelly: What was your biggest triumph as Berks Ballet Theatre’s Artistic Director? 

Carol: I would say it was doing the full-length Sleeping Beauty in 1985. The principals were Jenny Sui-kan Chiang & William Starrett. Another achievement was having the professional company in the late ’80s. We hired 6 professional dancers for the ’88-’89 season and mounted the full-length La Fille Mal Gardee for the opening of the Scottish Rite Cathedral. 

Kelly: Thank you Carol for having a vision to bring professional quality dance training and performing to Reading and Berks County. I’m grateful that I got to grow up in the Company and have all the lasting memories that I do. You set the stage for everything that we are doing now for our current dancers. Reading does have a very full arts scene and I’m proud that Berks Ballet Theatre is a part of it.