DOWNTOWN CROSSING – Valerie Wilder, executive director of Boston Ballet, has performed around the world. Unlike companies in Europe, where the government fully sponsors the arts, the United States government does not. Wilder does whatever she can to find money for Boston Ballet.
"You are always around very creative people," Wilder said. "You are in contact with people and it’s exciting."
Wilder, appointed executive director in 2002, leads the fourth largest ballet company in North America raising money and building its endowment. Under Wilder’s direction, the contributed income has increased.
"She is the supporting system we need," said Brynn Hale, outreach manager for CityDance.
Recently, the company came back from a six-week tour in Spain.
"We were a hit," Wilder said. "They embraced the company, which was exciting."
Previously Wilder served as the executive director of the National Ballet of Canada from 1996-2002.
Wilder’s interest in the performing arts started while living in Japan when her parents took her to her first ballet show at age 4. After the show she said she told her parents:
"This is what I’m going to do for the rest of my life."
She started going to ballet classes at age 7.
At age 2, Wilder moved to Japan with her parents. She realized she would have to leave Japan and get better training. At 15, she traveled by herself from Japan to the Royal Ballet School in London.
In 1970, Wilder joined the National Ballet of Canada in Toronto as a dancer, where she danced for more than 10 years and traveled around the world.
While still a dancer in Canada, Wilder was chosen by other dancers to be on the National Ballet Board of Directors. Wilder said she stopped dancing after starting her own business of advising dancers. She said it wasn’t hard for her to leave dancing, because she did the same work and worked with the same people.
"I didn’t miss [dancing] because I stayed involved," she said.
She was a financial advisor to dancers, among whom was Erik Bruchn, a male dancer. Wilder called him "one of the best."
One of the major challenges is finding money for the Boston Ballet. Unlike companies in Europe and Canada, where the government funds the arts, in the United States the money comes solely from tickets and donations.
This year Boston Ballet is performing "The Nutcracker,""Romeo and Juliet," "Swan Lake" and two contemporary programs.