The Bruce Wood Dance Company, a nationally revered performing arts group based in Fort Worth, announced on Friday, November 17, that it would be folding due to an anticipated budget shortfall. Season subscribers may request a prorated refund for the remaining three performances in the troupe’s 2006–2007 season.

The Company’s board of directors recently determined that a $300,000 deficit – two-thirds of the troupe’s $450,000 operating budget – represented an insurmountable obstacle to the group’s continued survival. Accordingly, the ten dancers in the troupe were dismissed, and the board canceled the remainder of the Company’s 11th season, which began on October 9th.

The Bruce Wood Dance Company was formed in 1995 as a showcase for the acclaimed choreography of Mr. Wood, who also served as the Company’s Artistic Director. A former dancer, Wood had studied at the School of American Ballet under the tutelage of the legendary George Balanchine. After a brief engagement with the New York City Ballet, he refined his Balanchine training by dancing three years as a soloist with the San Francisco Ballet. At the age of 21, he joined Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal as a principal dancer, and for the next four years he performed and taught all over the world.

It was in 1995 that Mr. Wood was approached by a small dance company in Austin, Texas to create a ballet for them. Having never choreographed before, he was somewhat apprehensive. But like every other challenge he had ever faced, he dove right in and completed the challenge. The results caused a sensation in the vibrant world of Austin’s dance community. Shortly thereafter, the Bruce Wood Dance Company was formed and moved to Fort Worth, the city that Mr. Wood considers home.

During the past decade, Wood has created over 50 ballets for BWDC as well as for other dance companies, including Orlando Ballet, Texas Ballet Theater, and Dallas Black Dance Theatre. In 2004, Wood was commissioned to create a work to honor the United States Army infantry, and spent several weeks at Fort Benning in Georgia, interviewing troops and listening to their private thoughts and personal stories. The resulting piece, Follow Me: Brother, debuted at the RiverCenter in Columbus, GA, and garnered Mr. Wood universal acclaim from critics and audiences alike.

The Bruce Wood Dance Company has long been celebrated as a vital and unique part of Tarrant County’s thriving arts community, and its small but intensely loyal fan base is hoping that the nationally-cherished troupe will find the funding necessary to revive them, as well as to keep them based in Fort Worth.

In the meantime, the Company’s 350 season subscribers may request a prorated refund for the three remaining shows on the group’s 2006–2007 calendar by calling Bass Hall at 817.212.4280.