Celebrating 56 years with a new facility and big dreams.
The Kansas City Ballet is all about balance. The dancers work at mastering leaps and steps as varied as Cabrioles and turns such as Pirouettes. Then they strike poses like arabesque. While the dancers work at perfecting their art, the administrative team encourages a similar move toward balance.
Executive Director Jeffrey J. Bentley joined the administrative team almost 15 years ago. During the early 1990s, the Kansas City Ballet, as a whole, faltered and was off balance, struggling, but through some resourceful steps through participation in the National Arts Stabilization Fund which identified arts organizations in communities with potential and promise and at the end of a five-year plan received a sizable grant, the organization turned around and today can tout a balanced and growing budget, Bentley says.
“Artistically dreaming is so critical. We could stagnate if we don’t move forward, but at this moment in time with this company and where we are in this community, we have had a remarkable trajectory in terms of growth and excellence in the recent few years,” Bentley says. “Sure, we have a strong budget, but we would always like to do more. If there was a donor or someone who asked how much is enough, I would tell this individual that you can always do more such as reach further into your community, reach further into the school, into the development of your students and the scholarship program; reach further into the company, coaching, the repertory; or into this building.”
Like the dreams of Clara in The Nutcracker and the sweet treats she experiences, Kansas City has given a taste of sweetness to the ballet in terms of support to repurpose the former power plant for Union Station. Before the move into the building near Union Station, the ballet used buildings that were acceptable practice buildings for the company and the students.
“We always knew they were temporary. We knew we needed a building to take us into the future. It would be the right space at the right time. The building was dreadful, but had great bones. There was also this trinity of aesthetics: natural light, clear span space which means no pillars to dance around and a lot of height,” he says. “The pragmatic included an urban setting with substantial parking. We have students attending school year-round. Now we have probably one of the best centers in America and maybe the world.” The Todd Bolender Center for Dance & Creativity has received at least 16 city, local, regional, national and international awards for its architectural repurposing, design work and more. “It’s a great legacy for all who have been involved.”
The Todd Bolender Center for Creativity & Dance has already been used for the Fringe Festival and First Fridays. “Kansas City is to be a destination for dance. We are not so arrogant to believe it’s only to be the Kansas City Ballet but dance in the community. The Fringe Festival was a perfect idea for the first year. We know that at the end of the day, we will look for more opportunities for the building,” Bentley says.
The other sweet treat came along in the form of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, which opened in September 2011, about a month after the ballet staff, dancers and students moved into the Todd Bolender Center. “We all embraced it with joy. The dancers and musicians have proper spaces, but more than anything, the audience has the amenities they need to enjoy a night out,” Bentley says. “For years,
all of the ballet’s successes fell on the shoulders of the dancers because the previous theaters weren’t pleasurable venues. Now, the venue is a visual feast with the architecture and comfortable with the bars. Audiences can participate in the preshow lecture we do, go into the hall, sit in comfortable seats with great sight lines, hear a great orchestra and see fabulous dance.”
As for programming, Bentley and Artistic Director William Whitener look for opportunities. The two men have worked together for almost 15 years here and two years at Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet. “We basically talk in a type of short-hand. I have a dance background myself so I can understand the repertory and the artistry. Of course, Bill has the final say on the season, but we can talk about budgets and so forth. The relationship we have has put the company into good standing. We have never diminished the artistry we put on the stage.”
In March, Whitener’s ballet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream is based on William Shakespeare’s comedy about the romantic misadventures of two mortal couples and the king and queen of the fairies. Set to Mendelssohn’s score, Kansas City Ballet’s production features the full company of dancers, 11 students from Kansas City Ballet School, the women of the Kansas City Chorale and two actors who recite excerpts from the play. “It’s a story told with classical ballet. The characters come to life with our dancers. It’s a performance truly based on collaboration within our community.” The program also features the return of Toni Pimble’s Concerto Grosso, plus Jessica Lang’s pas de deux, Splendid Isolation III. All performed with music by the Kansas City Symphony.
Pimble, whose narrative ballet Carmina Burana opened the 55th season in the fall, came back during the late winter to work with the ballet for Concerto Grosso. “It’s new for the ballet company, but it’s an exquisite piece that is pure dance. The Ernest Bloch music needs to be played live and it seemed to tell me a story. Seven couples are on stage. While some of the music can be percussive and strident, it’s a joyous piece that offers fluidity for the dancers and constant interest for the audience.”
In May, African-American choreographer Donald McKayle presents Hey-Hay, Going to Kansas City. The ballet also brings in Common People, choreographed by Margo Sappington and set to the words of actor William Shatner with music by Ben Folds, plus a world premiere by internationally acclaimed Karole Armitage. “We are showing off our diversity and range with great techniques and styles.”
Programming is a joy and a task he never takes lightly. “When I program a season, I look at the balance and the music. I look at the percentage of dramatic works to pure dance works. And of course it all happens because of the dancers. I look at works that suit them.
We are in the business of developing dancers. We look at ways to fulfill their promise. It goes back to the way I was developed as a dancer with Bob Fosse and Twyla Tharp. I was nurtured for my individuality and my point of view. I attempt to carry that into my work wherever I go,” Whitener says.
For the 2013-2014 season, Jerome Robbins’ first ballet Fancy Free is part of the October show. Bentley says the show could not have been done in any other theater. “The scenery is huge, but now we don’t have the physical restrictions.” The October program includes Allegro Brillante by George Balanchine plus two premieres, Triply Play by William Whitener and a new ballet by Jodie Gates. Kansas City Symphony and piano soloists perform the music of Tchaikovsky, Poulenc and Bernstein. For almost the month of December, the audience favorite, The Nutcracker, takes the stage.
From Feb. 21 to March 2, 2014, the narrative ballet, Dracula by Michael Pink, will be introduced to Kansas City audiences. According to stories, audience members often dress in costume to attend this ballet. In early May 2014, the other narrative ballet, Cinderella, choreographed by Victoria Morgan, will be another family-friendly ballet, in a similar regard to The Nutcracker, with a familiar story of dreams fulfilled and true love.
The Kansas City Ballet is 56 years old as an organization. “We are the flagship dance company and we have the most reach. With this rich history and a bright future, we are engaged in arts, cultural and political issues. We learned about historic preservation. Without hesitation, we are leaders not only in the art world, but in the community and as a business.”•
