Kansas Ballet Academy will host meet and greet
Tomorrow the Kansas Ballet Academy continues its week of promoting its fifth annual summer showcase they will perform at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Topeka Performing Arts Center.
At 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Mayor Larry Wolgast is joining the Kansas Ballet Academy to welcome their guest performers for a meet and greet at his office. Visit Topeka will post a live video on Facebook of the event.
“It speaks well to the maturity of the Topeka Arts community that local organizations like Kansas Ballet can attract world-class talent to our city,” Wolgast said in a news release. “Collaborations of this nature strengthen our community, and is the quality of life experience we want to provide for young people — right here at home.”
The performance opens with an excerpt from Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty: Aurora’s Wedding. Guest performers are professional guest dancers Arolyn Williams and Christopher Sellars from Ballet West, of Utah, and Kaleena Burks and Ryan Jolicouer-Nye from the Kansas City Ballet, along with the student dancers of Kansas Ballet Academy.
The summer showcase is a culmination of three weeks of intensive study by students at the Kansas Ballet Academy. Dancers train several hours per day, five days per week to prepare for the event, while they participate in special workshops and coaching sessions with the visiting artists.
“I look forward to my summer intensive camp every year because as students we get the experience of learning and performing with professional dancers from all over the world,” said KBA student Sophia Harrison. “These professionals inspire me to work hard because I look up to them, and aspire to be like them.”
Following the perfomance is a meet and greet at 7 p.m., where dance students and fans of all ages are invited to participate in a free Q&A session with the guest artists. No ticket is required.
The visiting artist project was funded in part by the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts. The KCAIC grant was awarded in support of Kansas Ballet’s mission: to educate, uplift and inspire through the art of classical ballet.
Prior to the performance Saturday, there will also be a pre-performance fundraiser. Beginning at 4:30 p.m., VIP ticket holders can enjoy some pre-show fare from Aboud’s Catering, Crooked Post Winery, Norsemen Brewing Company and non-alcoholic beverages from McAlister’s Deli, while children are welcome to participate in their very own children’s tea party. Proceeds benefit KBA’s Access the Arts initiative, which partners with the Boys and Girls Club, USD 501 and provides free performances across Northeast Kansas.
General admission tickets are on sale now for $10 at tututix.com/client/kansasballetacademy/ or by calling (855)222-2849. VIP Tickets are $35; a portion of each VIP ticket will be used to benefit Kansas Ballet’s community outreach programs.
