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Kansas City Ballet’s new home, the Todd Bolender Center for Dance & Creativity, will open to the public on August 26th 2011 with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 9:30 in the morning at 500 Pershing Avenue.

“This may well be the most significant event in the history of our company,” stated Executive Director Jeffrey J. Bentley. “Since the beginning, the need for a permanent home for the company and our highly regarded school has been an important but missing element of our strategic plan and now it is a reality for this community.”

A series of free public events is scheduled between Monday, August 22 and Friday, September 2nd to celebrate the completion of the restoration and repurposing of this historic power house situated at the western edge of the Union Station campus. Over the past five years the structure, which had been abandoned for nearly a half century, was painstakingly transformed into 52,000 square feet of space uniquely designed to support the needs of this nationally respected dance company and its school. Amenities include: seven dance studios, a physical therapy/training room, and lockers and shower facilities for the company and 160 parking spaces adjacent to the building.  It will house the administrative and artistic staff, as well as the institution’s archives.  

“During my time with Todd Bolender in Kansas City, we envisioned a permanent home for the company and school,” states Artistic Director William Whitener.  “This new facility surpasses our expectations. Large open studios, natural light as well as a 180 seat studio theater will now make it possible to create, rehearse and perform in an expansive environment.”

Renovation on the building began in November 2009.  The overall cost is $39 million, including a $7 million endowment restricted to support the operations and maintenance of the building itself.  The development partners include PowerHouse Properties LLC, award winning Kansas City based architectural firm BNIM, JE Dunn Construction, Union Station and The Downtown Council.

Grand Opening Celebration Schedule - August 22-September 2
For more information, please visit our website at www.kcballet.org

“Try it for Free” Classes
Mon. – Wed., August 22-24
Sat. – Sun., August 27-28
Mon. – Thurs., August 29- September 1
Choose from more than 100 FREE dance and movement classes at the Kansas City Ballet School. Classes are available for all ages and abilities in ballet, jazz, modern dance, ballroom, yoga, Pilates, Zumba and more. Guided tours also available. For a complete listing of free classes, visit www.kcballet.org.

Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
Fri., August 26 at 9:30 am – an Open House follows until 12 noon
FREE
Celebrate with Kansas City Ballet as we officially open the doors to our new home. Noted guests will include: Michael Kaiser, President of the Kennedy Center who served general manager of KCB in its early years, and Jacques d’Amboise, former principal dancer of New York City Ballet, founder of National Dance Institute and colleague of Todd Bolender (former artistic director of Kansas City Ballet). Festivities will include a narrated ballet class featuring professional Company dancers. Building tours available.

Something’s Afoot! Celebration
Fri., August 26 at 7 pm
Tickets on sale now starting at $150 from the KC Ballet Box Office.
Join us for Kansas City Ballet’s grand opening celebration. The studios of our new home will be transformed into the great ballet capitals of the world: Paris, Rome, Moscow , Madrid, London and Kansas City. This joyous fěte features food by local Crossroads restaurants, drinks, live music, and gorgeous décor by local florists. And, of course, dancing!

KC Dance Day
Sat., August 27
FREE
9 am – 2 pm: Free Dance Classes
10 am – 11 am: “Let’s All Dance” Community Dance led by Artistic Director William Whitener
11:30 am – 4 pm: KC Dance Sampler
Six local dance companies will perform 30-minute dance lecture/demonstrations. The dance companies will include: Wylliams-Henry Dance Company, Owen/Cox Dance Group, Kacico Dance, City in Motion Dance Theater, and Störling Dance Theater.
4:30 – 6 pm: Kansas City Ballet Open Rehearsal
The 25-member Company will present excerpts from several ballets that will be performed during the 2011-2012 season at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

World Dance Day
Sun., August 28
FREE
Visitors can participate in and watch dance from around the world with some of Kansas City’s best cultural dance groups.
12 noon – 4:30 pm: Free Dance Classes
Each of our 12 guest cultures will lead 45-minute dance classes which are open to the public. Comfortable shoes are recommended.
12:00 noon: Showcase #1 - Colombia, China, Hawaii, Morocco, Thailand and Spain
3:30 pm: Showcase #2 - Mexico, Republic of China, Ethiopia, India, Serbia, and West Africa

First Friday–Art That Moves!
Fri., September 2 at 5:30 pm
FREE
5:30 – 6:30 pm: Open Rehearsal
6:30 – 7:15 pm: “Move with Us” participatory dance class
7:15 – 8:00 pm: Meet the Dancers
Make Kansas City Ballet part of your First Friday. Come have a free bite and beer. See our professional dancers in an open rehearsal featuring excerpts from the Company’s upcoming World Premiere of Tom Sawyer – A Ballet in Three Acts. Catch a glimpse before the Company’s debut on the brand new stage at the Kauffman Center in October.

About Kansas City Ballet
Founded in 1957, Kansas City Ballet is a 25-member professional ballet company under the direction of Artistic Director William Whitener and Executive Director Jeffrey J. Bentley. The company’s mission is to offer our community, region and dance profession, dance experiences of the highest quality. Kansas City Ballet is home to the Kansas City Ballet School for 600 children and adults, offering professional training for the career-minded student as well as for those seeking a healthy lifestyle. Through our professional company, school and community outreach programs such as ROAD, Project X, and Dance INFORMances, we seek to nurture and develop our artists, audiences and students in the creativity, diversity and joy of dance. Our new home, Kansas City Ballet’s Todd Bolender Center for Dance & Creativity, opening in August 2011, in conjunction with our new stage at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, are poised to make Kansas City AND Kansas City Ballet a true destination for dance.

For more information visit http://www.kcballet.org

Top Photo: Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity from BNIM

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