Kansas City Ballet

High intensity Dancefixx class was incredibly challenging but super fun. Instructor was high energy and so inclusive and friendly! Class was $15 for a drop-in. Huge building with a parking lot. Lots of classes offered to the public regularly.

I don't know what Kansas City did to attract such amazing talent. Oh, wait I do, KC loves the ballet. All the teachers and dancers are so wonderful. Classes for all ages, and levels.

This building is stunning. Right next to Union Station, beautifully renovated with state of the art sound and lighting. Peter Pan, one of my all time favorites is coming in May 2018 eeeeeek.

I just found out they are having their 60th anniversary celebration at the Kauffman in April and it's FREE!

Ticket prices for all budget levels. Since most of the performances happen at the Kauffman center, their parking garage is 10$ a car, or the street parking is free after 6pm.

After my third Nutcracker here in Kansas City, I decided I better Yelp the experience.

With a daughter who danced in the California Ballet Nutcracker production for years, I'm no newbie at this whole gig. In comparing the two companies, there are definitely differences in the choreography and interpretations but Kansas City is no slouch when it comes to all things Nutcracker.

The fun thing about this Christmas standard is getting to see so many dancers, ranging from the youngest of children all the way up to spectacular prima ballerinas. In addition to all the character dances and exquisite solos and partnering of the prima ballerinas and the male dancers, you get live music from the very capable Kansas City Symphony. I've been to Nutcrackers with canned music and, trust me, it's way better to have the real deal.

The sets are absolutely breathtaking. From the colorful Land of Sweets to the shimmeringly beautiful snow scenes, there is something to feast your eyes on for every minute of the ballet. Costuming is also completely first rate.

All in all, this Nutcracker is a worthy addition to the Christmas offerings in Kansas City. I'll be back next year.

This Kansas City ballet Bolender in downtown is the best place your kids could be doing ballet . I'm always amazed
How the kids progress by learning quick .

The TODD BOLENDER Center for Dance & Creativity just held a world dance expo workshop for all different levels of learning and interest this past weekend. Dances included performances from Spain, Philippines, Germany, & Croatia to name a few.
There were FREE workshops for other world dances. Greece was one of the many that I attended and from what I could tell, the membership was up by quite a lot. I am glad Kansas City offers these apertures of interest into the arts and gives people a chance to learn and explore different cultures other than their own.
I hope next years is equally as interesting!

I stopped in Kansas City on my way to Denver to take class at City in Motion. The City in Motion studio was very hot and there was an excessive heat warning for the day, so I looked up classes at KCB. The class I took was Adult Modern taught by Halley Wilcox. I LOVED her Modern class. We started with some release work on the floor, did several Horton, Taylor and release inspired center combinations, a few energetic across the floor combinations and ended with a cute combo! The best part about the experience? The facility is AMAZING and we had a live percussionist in our classroom, which really helps move class along, so the teacher doesn't have to constantly stop to change the music or find the right tempo. LOVED, LOVED, LOVED and will definitely return.

On a side note, I've seen Kansas City Ballet perform in St. Louis several times and I'm also a HUGE fan of the company.

Some of us hit the ripe old age of 27 and decide that because we're the bee's knees and the world is our oyster, we could very well become a ballerina. (This is not Yours, Truly, as I started my ballet training at the ripe old age of 3). But let's just suppose your name is Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald and let's pretend you attend one of Kansas City Ballet's Nutcracker performances at the magnificent Kansas CIty Music Hall. From the second you hear the beginning notes of the miniature overture from Kansas City Symphony, from the second the curtain rises, you become enthralled. And then, at first sight of the passionate pas de deux between the Snow King and Queen, you become breathless... You clutch the velvet armrests of your seat, dig the heels of your t-straps into the strange grates in the floor...and vow, you *must do this.* (or perhaps it's one of the voices in your head making such a suggestion? You never can tell).

It might have been the art deco environs (technically Streamline Moderne, I'm told) but I was conjuring up the spirit of Zelda something fierce the other night at the performance of KCB's Nutcracker. Truth: I'm prone to conjuring up the spirit of Zelda quite often.

This past Saturday there was quite the inspiring performance and I'll be frank, although it's quite not of the caliber of NYCB's Nutcracker (really, what is? Then again, since the retirement of "last of the Balanchine ballerinas," Darci Kistler this past June, all the world is wondering if the NYCB will ever be the same), it's a superb production. And affordable, where NYCB performances are priced for the rich (like almost everything else in New York.)

Next year will have the Kansas City Ballet at the new Kauffman arena. Not sure an *arena* could possibly provide quite the same setting as the Music Hall or Lyric Theater. We soon shall see. Until then...Save Me The Waltz.

All the reviews thus far have been about the KCB's performances - and I can vouch. I've seen three since I've been here and have a world-class ballet in Kansas City. And bloody affordable as well.

But that's not what I'm here to talk about today, Yelpies. I'm here to talk about the classes. YES the CLASSES that you can take at the Kansas City Ballet. A friend of mine has been doing this for a long time now - taking "Absolute Beginner's" ballet for adults and I thought, "Woman, you are insane. Adults cannot learn ballet." Then!!! This year's Pitch Fitness Crawl rolled around and what do I see as one of the options? Yes. So I dragged along a buddy and went to try it out last night.

First off, we were fortunate enough to have a sub for the class who just happened to be the Director of the School and she was WONDERFUL. As an educator, I'm pretty damn picky about how I'm taught, and a woman who can make 90 minutes of physical endurance fly by has a gift.

The class started with the basic positions and some stretches and lifts at the barre, then some super-basic floor sets, and at the end we did jumps and chasses across the studio. Jumps! On our first night!

Beloved reader, my toes are killing me this morning, but when I got home last night drenched in sweat and beaming, The Spouse said, "You look like you REALLY enjoyed that. Do you want to buy a package of classes?" Yes. I do.

Also, as of now (late January 2015) there's a monster Groupon - one month of UNLIMITED classes for $35 (it's usually $120). If you've been looking for a creative way to get some fitness in, I really recommend this. They also have yoga, hip hop and other options.

Meet me at Swan Lake, Yelp!

PS: (because this was something I was worried about) - don't buy ballet shoes if you're not sure if you want to stick with it - you can do your first few classes in socks until you decide! Also! Yes, there were guys there, guys.

After years of attending the ballet in New York and San Francisco before moving back to Kansas City, I was hesitant to go to the ballet here because I thought productions at the old Lyric Theater wouldn't compare well, given the cramped stage facilities.

Tonight I attended the Kansas City Ballet for the first time in their fantastic new performance space, the Muriel Kauffman Theater in the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. As its opening production in the new theater, the Ballet is presenting "Tom Sawyer," the world premiere of a specially commissioned work which is the first-ever full-length ballet on an American theme by an all-American creative team! Considering the historic nature of the piece, I was surprised not to see PBS filming it for "Great Performances!"

I think I'm glad I waited to go until now! "Tom Sawyer" turns out to be delightful! The score is charming and sprightly; the choreography and dancing excellent; the costumes appropriately period; and the production simple but pleasing. The company is thoroughly professional and the work takes full advantage of the amazing stage facilities at the Muriel.

The title character was very well danced by carrot-topped Alexander Peters. Charles Martin did a fine job with the role of Huck Finn, and Becky Thatcher was winsomely portrayed by Laura Wolfe. Logan Pachiarz nearly stole the show with his loose-jointed Muff Potter (the town drunk). Even the children on-stage did a great job!

There's considerably comedy in the piece and the audience could be heard laughing in a number of places. The second act, set in the graveyard, even includes some funny nods to "Night of the Living Dead!"

Even though we were sitting in the topmost balcony, the stage doesn't seem very far away and the sight lines were fine. The orchestra sounded wonderful -- it's a real luxury to have the Kansas City Symphony doubling as the pit orchestra for the Ballet and Opera because the level of playing is extremely high!

There are several performances to come and tickets are still available, so GO! This is one not to miss!

I will be the first to admit I know nothing about ballet. But, I love attending anything cultural if given the chance. I love old theaters. I love men in tights. Reasons enough!

I have been given the opportunity a hand full of times to watch the ballet throughout my life and have loved it every time. Last night was no exception as the KC Ballet performed "Mercy of the Elements" by William Whitener, "Moves" by Jerome Robbins and "The Catherine Wheel Suite" by Twyla Tharp. All performed with grace and beauty.

The costumes and lighting were amazing in all three numbers. "Moves" is a ballet in silence......fascinating. Your senses are really drawn to the movement because of this......also the squeak of the chairs, the throat clearing of the audience and that one idiot that forgot to turn off their cell phone. But the highlight for me was the number by Twyla Tharp.....AMAZING! It is extremely energetic and non stop. A huge plus to me was that the entire dance was set to the music and sounds of David Byrne (who I love) from the Talking Heads.

I learned that the Kansas City Ballet is the oldest performing arts group in Kansas City at an amazing 53 years of continuous seasons. How cool is that! This will be their last ballet in the Lyric Theater as they will be moving to the new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts next season. Sad in the way of leaving a beautiful old theater where you can smell the history, but exciting that they will have a new state of the art facility to grow for the next 53 years to come.

I don't have other ballet company's to compare them to, I don't have the expertise to judge them against but I do know that I'm glad they are here in Kansas City and that everyone should check them out if given the opportunity.