Thalia Mara Hall and the neighboring Mississippi Arts Center in downtown Jackson are expected to be ready inside and outside to welcome dancers, jury members and fans to the USA IBC XII in June.
“We’re working diligently to put a shine on the hall so that it represents the city well and the international competition,” said Rob Farr, architect at Cooke Douglass Farr Lemons Architects and Engineers.
About 100 competitors from across the globe will show off their artistry and athleticism and compete for bronze, silver and gold medals during the competition, scheduled June 10-24, at Thalia Mara Hall.
The USA IBC was founded by Thalia Mara, namesake of the auditorium, and the first competition was held in Jackson in 1979. The USA IBC is the official international ballet competition in the United States by joint resolution of Congress.
The last competition, which was held in 2018, in Jackson drew 40,400 attendees to downtown and generated an estimated economic impact of $12.5 million. The competition was originally scheduled in June 2022 but got delayed after the global pandemic disrupted sister competition plans in Finland and Bulgaria.
The exterior of the 54-year-old Thalia Mara Hall has been cleaned and painted, and the fountains in front of the hall are being replaced with some that look like what was there. The front lawn is being resodded and landscaped, an irrigation system is being added and a new building identification sign should be mounted in front of the fountains.
New as a permanent fixture on the plaza of Thalia Mara Hall is a steel sculpture by New York artist Jack Howard-Potter entitled “Dancer 12.” The sculpture commemorates the twelfth time the competition will be held in Jackson.
The two flagpoles in front of the Pascagoula Street side of Thalia Mara Hall will be moved so that they will line up with the South West Street side of the building. A third flagpole will be added so that three flags, the U.S., state and city flag, can be flown instead of just two.
A canopy connecting the exterior porch to the Americans with Disabilities-complaint entrance at the concourse is being installed.
Efforts are also under way to spruce up with the Inside of Thalia Mara Hall, Farr said, by painting, cleaning the carpet and replacing some of it, replacing ceiling tiles, repairing light fixtures and providing the escalators with care so they’ll work. “We have a company doing escalator repair, and we’re hoping we’ll get them both working,” he said.
After the competition is over, there will be a larger project to replace the escalators, Farr said. “They’re completely worn out,” he said.
The Legislature appropriated $2 million in 2022 for the city to enhance the hall, and the Friends of Thalia Mara Hall and the Community Foundation for Mississippi funded the design work, Farr said. In November 2022, the city council approved spending up to $90,000 on a contract with Cooke Douglass Farr Lemons Architects and Engineers to draw plans for improvements at Thalia Mara Hall.
“The hall needs some love to keep it in good use,” he said. “It’s very well used throughout the year.”
The neighboring Mississippi Arts Center should also be ready to receive visitors, said Mona Nicholas, executive director of the competition.
The city of Jackson commissioned Canizaro Cawthon Davis to make repairs to the arts center as part of an emergency contract. Benchmark Construction is the project manager at both Thalia Mara Hall and the arts center.
Improvements are being made to the HVAC system so the air conditioning can be better regulated downstairs, she said. Improvements to regulating the air conditioning on the second floor of the building are planned after the competition, she said.
Some flooring downstairs in the arts center is being replaced, she said. So are ceiling tiles and lighting and the staircase is being reworked so it will be up to code. Two of the restrooms at the arts center are being updated so they will comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, she said.
“I think it’s all going to look very good,” said Nicholas, who earlier this year gave tours to city leaders to point out the badly needed repairs. “I’ve very confident.”
The arts center is important because the USA IBC offices are located there and so are two ballet studios that will be used during the competition.
Some members of the IBC’s production team will arrive in Jackson on June 1 and four days later, the competitors will be in town. “Then the jury members and VIPs start arriving,” Nicholas said.
The opening ceremony is scheduled on June 10 at 7:30 p.m., kicking off with a Parade of Nations featuring 17 flags representing the countries of the competitors and jury members, music by the Mississippi Symphony and the Mississippi Chorus and speeches by numerous dignitaries. After intermission, the Washington Ballet will perform.
Many details remain to be done, Nicholas said, and plenty of opportunities remain for volunteers to be part of the success of the competition.
Volunteers should be age 15 or older, although it is OK for younger children to be part of it all by assisting their parents if they are volunteers. High school students who need to earn service hours are also welcome.
The easiest way to sign up as a volunteer is online at https://www.usaibc.com/support/volunteers/. Information online details volunteer opportunities and allows an individual to indicate interest in one or more of them.
Ambassador families, which were once known as host families, are still needed, she said such as cheering during a performance and presenting flowers afterwards or scheduling a shopping trip. Competitors are housed at Millsaps College and not at the homes of ambassador families.
“What makes Jackson so important and one of the top competitions that dancers want to compete in is the southern hospitality they are shown,” Nicholas said. “We have ticket buyers who have come back again and again because of the hospitality they’re shown. That’s because of the work of our volunteers.”
Thalia Mara is a large auditorium and holds 2,000 people, said Nicholas, who wants to see every seat filled. Tickets may be purchased at https://www.usaibc.com/attend/ or by calling the box office 601-973-9249.
“We don’t want a dancer to look out and seat empty seats,” she said. “We put a lot of emphasis on quality and having the whole town turn out. You go to other competitions and they don’t have a symphony playing like we do. People in Jackson dress up and go to the theater. It’s not the same in other places. Everyone wants to come to Jackson because these things make it attractive.”
