LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Just before 9 a.m. on Monday, eight employees at the Louisville Ballet took cover in the basement after reports of an active shooter.
Louisville Ballet Chief Executive Leslie Smart was getting her Monday started when one of those employees called her to let her know that they were sheltering in place because of an active shooter next door.
“I think initially we thought it was a bank robbery and it was someone with a gun. We really did not understand the magnitude of what was happening even though we took all necessary precautions,” Smart said.
Smart is the new Chief Executive of the Louisville Ballet after spending the last three years in Lexington.
She said that she has plenty of experience dealing with active shooter training, but everything changes when you get that call.
She and another member of her staff came to the building to support their employees. Smart says that a number of the dancers and other staff members, including herself, have a personal connection to Old National Bank
“Some didn’t want to leave the building last night to go home, some wanted to leave the building immediately. It was all levels of emotion,” Smart said.
“I had a personal relationship with Old National Bank. I was with Tommy Elliot last Wednesday. I am new back in town from Lexington and had just taken my role on here at the Louisville Ballet. Tommy greeted me and gave me a big hug of congratulations and welcomed me home.”
Smart said that she felt a sense of comfort in the moments that she first heard about the shooting because the ballet has all of it’s doors locked and security measures in place, but upon reflection she acknowledged that any kind of peace of mind isn’t full proof.
"I don’t think anybody is safe. I mean we can all try to be as prepared as we possibly can be, but no one is safe,” Smart said.
She and the company held a meeting on Tuesday to go over resources available to the employees who may still be shaken from the tragedy that happened just next door.
“One of our studios is all glass and the window looks directly into the Old National space, and every time we pull into the parking lot we look directly at Old National,” Smart said. “It will take a long time for our staff to heal from this, for our community to heal from this.”
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