Ballet Philippines

Problem Statement

The Ballet Philippines gets its funds from two major sources: ticket-selling and subscription packages or sponsorships. However, the revenues it obtains from these sources are not sufficient to support the expenses of the company. The expenses involved in ballet are quite high. These include the costs of costumes, shoes, tours, performances, training, and artists' compensation. The hard truth is that Ballet Philippines is not financially sustainable.

The root of this problem could be traced to the revenue-generating activities of Ballet Philippines. The proceeds from the ticket sales are negligible. The audience in a show is mostly composed of the friends and relatives of the performers whose tickets are only complimentary. On the other hand, the number of subscribers of their sponsorship packages has been declining. The company simply does not have enough sources of income.

The lack of patrons of ballet performances could still be further traced to the lack of promotions on the part of the company and the limited market that these kind of cultural shows target. Admittedly, ballet performances are not popular to the masses in the Philippines. The general economic condition of the country also limits the number of people who could afford to subscribe to the shows and forces the sponsoring companies to divert their promotional budget to other channels.

Being financially unsustainable is matched with an equally serious sub-problem. The inadequate compensation of the performers forces them to leave the company after just a short span of time either to establish a small dance tutorial business by themselves or be hired by foreign dance companies.

Analysis

STRENGTHS

Pioneers of Philippine Ballet. Ballet Philppines was the first Filipino ballet group to ever hold summer workshops and perform ballet dance concerts here in the Philippines. They started when the Cultural Center of the Philippines just barely started. Being the pioneer gives them the notoriety in terms of having an impact when it comes to the ballet scene. There is usually a notion that people have that the first one in the business is usually the best one unless otherwise evident. This cemented their dominant position in Philippine ballet. They are already an institution so to speak.

Best in Asia. National and international critics have cited them as the best ballet company here in Asia. One of them even said that high technical skills and choreography match and even surpass many other ballet companies all over the world. They have already built quite a name for themselves and continue to do so in outstanding performances. Their portfolio of 250 repertoire works remained unmatched here in the region.

Worldwide Exposure. The group has already performed across the globe. They had some rave reviews in European countries like Spain and England as well as Asian countries like Japan and China. They even went and performed at the legendary Sydney Opera house.

Trained Members. Members of Ballet Philippines are much disciplined and highly skilled professionals. They got their first training here locally but they many opportunities open to them to enhance their skill. Only the best students at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Dance School are selected to be in Ballet Philippines which implicitly says that every member possesses a certain degree of skill.

Commitment to Excellence. The mission of the company says it all. One of the pillars of their existence is their commitment to excellence. They still continue to train even if they already made a name for themselves. Even when faced with hardships like the very low salary, they still manage to keep themselves afloat.

WEAKNESSES

Low Revenues. The low revenue of the dance company is a weakness because it hinders the company from doing its core competencies. It makes it enclosed in a tight budget with the constant threat of closing because of continuously lowering profits. Despite the many projects they are introducing to the public from common ones like the subscriptions packages and sponsorships to unusual ones like the toe shoe fund, their cash flow is still dwindling and this can delay growth. The company without the proper financial stability cannot work towards improving its dance form because it is too busy finding money for the business.

Artists are Not Motivated. Another weakness is the low motivation of the companies' employees. This is probably because of the low compensation for the ballerinas and other company workers. Another reason is the rarity of promotion in the company because of the few positions available. With few positions in the company, the only way an employee can get promoted is if the current one in the position resigns or retires. This is a weakness because employees with low motivation lack the energy to push the company to growth or even sustain the company's status quo. Low