Dec 16, 2020, 6:30 PM ETFireside Chat, Interview

Kara Medoff Barnett, Executive Director of American Ballet Theatre

Cara Madoff-Barnett began ballet training at age three and saw her first performance (Balanchine's Jewels) at age eight.
She originally intended to pursue medicine in college before committing to dance, driven by the discipline and structure rather than the glamour of performance.
Madoff-Barnett identifies core life skills developed through serious dance training as: 10,000 hours of practice, perseverance, tenacity, resilience, humility, and "grace under pressure."
She cites a specific personal failure—falling flat during a performance—as a critical lesson in agility and the necessity of finishing the job after adversity.
Her leadership approach emphasizes that while technical effort must be rigorous, the final performance must appear effortless, balancing 400-year-old steps with individual personality and inspiration.

American Ballet Theatre (ABT) was designated "America's National Ballet Company" by an act of Congress in 2006, despite being founded in 1940.
Madoff-Barnett defines ABT's strategic differentiator ("secret sauce") as "diversity and dynamism," prioritizing the elevation of individual uniqueness over the "exquisite sameness" of other companies.
The company's mission statement "Rise" stands for: Representation and Inclusion, Sustain Excellence.
Under her direction, ABT has moved toward celebrating individual narratives, noting that while the steps of productions like Swan Lake remain constant, the artistic interpretation varies by performer.
Strategic goals for the future include ensuring the company thrives for its next 80 years by diversifying artists, staff, crew, musicians, and audiences.

Upon the onset of the pandemic in March, ABT adopted the rallying cry "Alone but Together" to maintain community cohesion without resorting to mass layoffs or furloughs.
Madoff-Barnett explicitly rejected a strategy of "hibernation," framing the crisis as catalytic fuel for growth, transformation, and rapid evolution.
The organization focused on intimate digital storytelling rather than large-scale productions, leveraging the shared purpose of its human assets (artists, staff, board) as its greatest resource.
ABT launched its first digital gala, "ABT Together Tonight," in May, which attracted 75,000 viewers, significantly surpassing the ~3,000 capacity of their traditional largest venue, the Metropolitan Opera House.
The company established a strategic commitment to redefine "widest possible audience" post-pandemic, aiming to retain the expanded reach achieved through digital channels.

For the holiday season, ABT partnered with LG Signature and Matador Content to produce a 10-minute digital film of the "Grand Pas de Deux" from The Nutcracker, featuring principals Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside.
This digital content was premiered on a billboard in Times Square to provide public access to art during a period of urban isolation, aiming to evoke joy and connectedness.
Madoff-Barnett forecasts a continued fusion of digital and physical formats, rather than a full return to pre-pandemic norms, to maximize audience reach.
To address the "digital divide," ABT plans to experiment in 2021 with outdoor performances in non-traditional venues, including parking lots and parks, to lower access barriers.
The organization intends to maintain a "test kitchen" mentality in 2021 to continue innovating business models and tearing down traditional obstacles that discourage new audiences from engaging with ballet.