A new home for the Sacramento Ballet and other traditional arts groups is a worthy goal

Sacramento saved the Kings. Now, we need to work harder to save some of our longstanding performing-arts institutions.

Here's what's going on: Last December, city council approved a lease arrangement for the Sacramento Ballet, plus the opera and philharmonic's new organization, the Sacramento Region Performing Arts Alliance. The goal was to move these arts powerhouses into the old Fremont School building at N and 24th streets, then rename it the Studios for Performing Arts.

That never happened. So last month, Mayor Kevin Johnson asked council members Angelique Ashby and Jay Schenirer to look into things. They did—and this week are reporting back that the plan has “changed significantly,” according to a city report. The opera and philharmonic have bailed. The city also says it cannot help the ballet with the $2.5 million it needs.

I'm not saying the city should help the ballet with money. But the ballet's current lease, at a building on K Street, expires this February. They're working on a one-year extension, which I hope they get. Because during the coming year, the community needs to figure out how to make the Studios project a reality.

The ballet has done a lot recently to connect with different audiences. They hired a hip new executive director. They do non-traditional stuff like The Great Gatsby. I've even seen ballerinas dancing on top of Midtown parking garages. The ballet is no longer boring.

These arts groups deserve to thrive in this community for years to come. Who else can join them on N Street and turn that unused schoolhouse into an arts-and-culture hub? Are there low-cost solutions to make this a reality?

If sports and entertainment are downtown's future, then the arts should have a big place in Midtown's.