Configuration is Cape Cod’s only professional ballet company. It arrived on that otherwise artistically rich scene only recently, in 1999, and by some miracle it is world-class. The founders, Catherine Batcheller and Joseph Cipolla, have distinguished resumes: between them, principal roles with the San Francisco, Stuttgart, Birmingham Royal, and Sadler’s Wells Royal ballet companies and the Dance Theatre of Harlem, with teaching experience at related institutions in England and the U.S. They are working hard to carve out a niche for dance in Cape culture. They import accomplished professionals from around the world for their three annual productions, which have earned favorable notices in national media. They have taught serious dance locally and provided the best of their apprentices with opportunities to study and perform with visiting masters. Through lectures and demonstrations, hundreds of elementary and middle school children have been introduced to the wonders and practicalities of dance, from basic skills to advanced artistry and discipline. They have commissioned works by established and emerging choreographers, and collaborated when they could afford it with musicians of the Chatham Chorale, the Cape Cod Symphony, the Academy of Performing Arts, the Boston Symphony and the Pops. But they need back-up — staff and philanthropic support. This is your opportunity for a strategic investment in artistic excellence on the Cape.