Madison Ballet includes a small staff of four on the organizational side, including artistic director W. Earle Smith. A professional company of 15 dancers also teach classes in the School of Madison Ballet, located at Westgate Mall, and do outreach in local schools.

The company dancers are on a 32-week contract. According to general manager Gretchen Bourg, they'll have worked 21 weeks of it this fiscal year.

"The board made this decision so we can have a season next year, so we can have positions for dancers," Bourg said. "Could we have made it through? Sure. Did we want to be in that position in the fall? No.

"As difficult as it was, this was not taken lightly."

Bourg insisted that the ballet's primary challenge has not been an ambitious season, which included three full-length shows and two repertory programs in the (cheaper to rent) Bartell Theatre. Knapp insisted that competition from other local companies and schools hasn't had an effect, either.

It's that major contributions were down — $87,000 this year, when 2013-14 brought in $150,000 and 2014-15 saw $100,000. There hasn't been the staff time to write grants or find more donors. Bourg herself is in charge of fundraising, as well as payroll and tour arrangements and fundraising.