Where is the Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity located?
Kansas City Ballet has a lease on the Union Station Power House building, located at 400 W. Pershing Road, West Yards. It is a great location, near Crown Center and Union Station.
When will it open?
Kansas City Ballet will move to the Bolender Center in March of 2010. Construction began summer of 2008.
How much will it cost?
The Kansas City Ballet has over $19 million in commitments, or 72% of its $27.5 million goal. At least $7 million is earmarked for an operating endowment to support the facility.
What are the benefits this building will bring?
The Bolender Center will provide Kansas City Ballet with a long sought-after permanent home. The Union Station Power House site meets all of the Ballet’s programmatic needs with 60,000 square feet. A big plus is the 180 space parking lot adjacent to the building for patrons, dancers, parents, guests and staff. The facility will house seven studios, one of which will be a studio theater for informal performances, school concerts, choreographic showings and community use by an array of not for profit organizations seeking space.
Are you tearing the powerhouse building down or renovating?
We will renovate this historic building into a seven studio Dance Education Center.
How do I make a capital campaign gift?
I would like to make a tax-deductible contribution to Kansas City Ballet’s Capital Campaign. Click here to download a PDF form to make a contribution. Don't have Adobe Acrobat? Download it for free! For more information, please contact Jennifer J.E. Wampler, MBA, CFRE, by email or 816-931-2232 x1309.
Why did Kansas City Ballet change locations for the Bolender Center?
After careful consideration, the board of the Ballet decided that the site for the Bolender Center at 16th and Wyandotte was becoming prohibitively expensive. The increasing costs were due to the length of time it was taking to get the go-ahead to build. Secondarily, the 16th Street site was only guaranteed 25 parking spaces, not even enough for the staff and dancers, let alone parents of KCB School students. The site at Union Station guarantees 180 free parking spaces, plenty to accommodate everyone.
Why does Kansas City Ballet need seven studios?
Currently, the Kansas City Ballet School is at its capacity in our four studios. In order to provide the highest quality dance training, KCBS needs to maintain an appropriate student/teacher ratio. In order to expand the pre-professional program and create a program with the recreational dance student in mind, the school needs more studios.
KCBS also plans to expand its adult programs. This way, parents can take an exercise class while their students are in ballet class. We will also be able to better serve the needs of the growing residential population in the Crossroads District.
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