FOUNDERS
Alaja Badalich
Jim Ballard
Angela Dunham
Tracy Fuller
Sophia MacMillan
Jessica Jaye Mackinson
Lindsey Sheilds

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jessica Jaye Mackinson, President
Alaja Badalich, Vice President
Tracy Fuller, Secretary
Steph Young, Treasurer
Jim Ballard, Human Resources
India M. Lind
Kendra Lady
Ashley Newport
Eva Osirus

ADVISORS TO THE BOARD
Carmelli Maria Hess
Vicky McQuaide

Fermata Ballet Collective (FBC) is a nonprofit dance organization based in Eugene, Oregon, founded in 2020 during the COVID-19 global pandemic and a pivotal cultural shift toward equity in the arts. What began as a gathering of dancers seeking connection and creative refuge quickly grew into a collective committed to reimagining outdated systems within dance spaces. FBC values dancers of all backgrounds to continue their craft in an environment rooted in inclusion, collaboration, and care.

FBC's mission is to diversify ballet by challenging traditional norms and creating new, liberated pathways within the dance experience. Through free community classes, choreographic workshops, professional development opportunities, and original performances, we center personal story, identity, and transformation within the collective. Our work invites audiences and artists alike to imagine a more expansive, accessible, and truthful future for dance.

Deviating from deeply held norms within traditional ballet environments, FBC will cultivate a collaborative approach with an egalitarian structure, foster an environment of inclusivity, and will not condone discrimination against any individual regarding race, color, ethnicity, nation origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, appearance, religion, age, or ability or other protected classes.