Kansas City Ballet Opens SWAN LAKE Tonight

KANSAS CITY, MO (January 14, 2016) - The 58th season of Kansas City Ballet continues with the enchanting tale of Swan Lake with choreography by Kansas City Ballet Artistic Director Devon Carney after Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov and the mesmerizing score of Peter I. Tchaikovsky. The production will be accompanied by Kansas City Symphony conducted by Kansas City Ballet Music Director Ramona Pansegrau and runs tonight, Feb. 19, through Feb. 28 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

This will mark the first time in Kansas City Ballet's history to present the full-length Swan Lake. Artistic Director Devon Carney said, "I am so thrilled to see our dancers get the opportunity to perform this defining work for our audiences. To this day, the dual role of Odette/Odile is world famous and a major milestone in a dancer's career. Additionally, the group of swans that compromise the corps de ballet must breathe and move almost as one-the quintessential example of precision and timing. It isn't any wonder this spectacular ballet has withstood the great test of time, and it's an honor and a privilege to present it to our Kansas City community on the Kauffman Center's stage!"

Swan Lake is the classic story of the beautiful but cursed Swan Queen Odette, her passionate Prince Siegfried, and the love that unites them for all eternity. Based on Russian folktales and with themes of good versus evil, the power of love and the fate of innocence, Swan Lake blends Tchaikovsky's magnificent melodies and the mesmerizing corps of dancers in an unforgettable spectacle.

Tracing its origins back to 1895 and famed choreographer Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, Swan Lake centers on Odette, the queen of a flock of female swans. In KC Ballet's production, the flock is comprised of up to 24 swans as part of lavish corps de ballet scenes. Typically, regional, single-company productions consist of only 12.

Cynthia Gregory, famed prima ballerina formerly with American Ballet Theater and considered one of the finest interpreters of the dual role of Odette/Odile, will be in Kansas City to coach the female leads in this technically complex and artistically challenging role.

Visit www.kcballet.org for more information about Kansas City Ballet's 2015-2016 season and www.kauffmancenter.org for a downloadable media kit about the Kauffman Center. High resolution photos of the 2015-2016 season can be found at http://www.flickr.com/photos/67555847@N06/sets/

Ticket Information

Tickets may be purchased by telephone at 816.931.8993, in person at the Kansas City Ballet Box Office located at the Bolender Center at 500 W. Pershing Rd. (west of Union Station) or with "Select Your Own Seat" capability online at kcballet.org. Tickets also may be purchased at the Kauffman Center Box Office and website. Visit the Kansas City Ballet website for more information about performance times, seating options and parking atkcballet.org. Tickets are on sale now.

Parking and Downtown Maps

Information and maps for Kauffman Center parking and construction updates can be found online athttp://www.kcballet.org/planyourvisit. The Arts District parking garage, immediately south of and underneath the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, is the primary parking garage for Kansas City Ballet patrons. Event parking is $8 per car and may be purchased in advance or upon arrival (cash only at the gate).

About Kansas City Ballet

To make Kansas City a destination for dance

Founded in 1957, Kansas City Ballet is a 28-member professional ballet company under the leadership of Artistic Director Devon Carney and Executive Director Jeffrey J. Bentley. The company's mission is to establish Kansas City Ballet as an indispensable asset in its community through exceptional performances, excellence in dance training and quality community education programs for all ages.

Kansas City Ballet is home to Kansas City Ballet School with an enrollment of 1800+ children and adults offering professional training for the career-minded student as well as for those simply seeking a healthy lifestyle.

Through our professional company, our second company (KCB II) and our many community educational and outreach programs, such as Reach Out and Dance (ROAD), we seek to nurture and develop our artists, audiences and students in the values inherent in the creativity, diversity and joy of dance.

Our home, the Todd Bolender Center for Dance & Creativity, in conjunction with our Resident Company status at the world-class Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts truly has positioned Kansas City as a destination for dance.

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