50 THINGS WE’RE EXCITED ABOUT!

(AND THAT YOUR DONATIONS SUPPORT)

Charlotte Ballet is celebrating International Dance Day and the long-awaited world premiere of Sleeping Beauty: A Fairy Tailored Classic on April 29 with a Day of Giving! We’re coming together on this organization-wide day to honor our 50th Anniversary and look ahead to our next 50 years.

In honor of our 50th Anniversary, we’ve put together a list of 50 exciting things that YOUR donation will help support. From welcoming our new artistic director to our upcoming Academy and Reach performances, we have so many things to look forward to! Continue reading to learn more about Charlotte Ballet’s happenings and the impact of your giving.

  • 1. Premiering Sleeping Beauty: A Fairy-Tailored Classic (more than 2 years after it was postponed on its original opening night!)
  • 2. Welcoming our new artistic director, Alejandro Cerrudo, to Charlotte Ballet!
  • 3. A day that celebrates the universal impact of dance – International Dance Day!
  • 4. Our upcoming 2022/2023 Season
  • 5. Seeing the result of the hard work of our Reach participants at their performance on May 1
  • 6. Company and Pre-Pros performing on stage together throughout Sleeping Beauty’s run
  • 7. Our ever-inspiring Academy performances on May 7-8
  • 8. Our upcoming Sensory-Friendly Sleeping Beauty performance, on May 4, which allows every member of our community to experience this magical production
  • 9. Bringing Alejandro Cerrudo’s artistic vision to life
  • 10. Sleeping Beauty’s magical, striking sets
  • 11. Adult drop-in dance classes open to anyone to experience the joy of dance
  • 12. Showcasing new works created by our very own company artists at Choreographic Lab on May 13-21
  • 13. Our Academy Summer Intensive
  • 14. Holding our upcoming 2022/2023 Reach auditions so more students can experience high-quality dance training free of charge through our scholarship program
  • 15. Sleeping Beauty’s beautiful, lavish costumes
  • 16. Dancing with the Stars of Charlotte 2023 Gala (this year’s Gala returned with a bang – and we’re already excited for next year!)
  • 17. More educational Lecture Demonstrations as we re-enter Mecklenburg County schools
  • 18. Bringing back our digital experience “Keeping up with the Choreographers,” a docuseries following our company artists as they create their works for Choreographic Lab
  • 19. Premiering Chris Stuart’s Johnny Cash inspired work Under the Lights in Charlotte at our Fall Works series
  • 20. Our growing auxiliary group, Corps de Ballet, that promotes and supports our programs and performances
  • 21. Seeing artists progress through our educational programming from Academy and Pre-Pro to Charlotte Ballet II (like recently promoted CBII artists, Olivia Parsons and Jacy Klein)
  • 22. Providing shoes, tights, and leotards to our Reach students so they are fully equipped to train and perform
  • 23. Performing Helen Pickett’s acclaimed IN Cognito again in October
  • 24. Welcoming new leadership to our Board of Trustees in July
  • 25. Performing on stage for live audiences (we will never take this for granted)
  • 26. Engaging with our generous volunteers at upcoming volunteer opportunities
  • 27. Having Matthew Hart, Sleeping Beauty: A Fairy-Tailored Classic’s choreographer, back in Charlotte with us after 2 years
  • 28. Future company and CBII tours, like our recent Hilton Head Island tour that included lecture demonstrations for elementary students, a public performance, and a masterclass for high school students
  • 29. Bringing Peter Pan back to the stage with new choreography
  • 30. Increasing the number of Academy and company classes that have live accompaniment
  • 31. Continuing our partnership with The Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department to provide Senior Dress Rehearsals
  • 32. Working with visiting choreographers who bring fresh perspectives to our studios
  • 33. Taking audiences through the evolution of ballet at Choreographic Lab
  • 34. Academy summer camps
  • 35. Welcoming new artists to our company
  • 36. Bringing back our Middle & High School Dance Festival this fall
  • 37. Showing Alejandro Cerrudo how incredible our city of Charlotte is
  • 38. New Charlotte Ballet merch on sale through our boutique
  • 39. Performing to live accompaniment by Charlotte Symphony Orchestra at upcoming performance series
  • 40. Continuing to train under some of the best teaching artists in the industry
  • 41. Engaging with our donors at upcoming performance receptions and behind-the-scenes opportunities
  • 42. Continuing our partnership with The University of North Carolina at Charlotte through our UNCC Certificate Program
  • 43. Offering more Educational Performances as we welcome schools and homeschool groups back to the Center for Dance
  • 44. Reading more articles that highlight our artists, like this feature on Sarah Hayes Harkins in Charlotte Parent
  • 45. Revealing our 50th Anniversary Donor Wall that recognizes the generous support of our $5,000+ campaign contributors
  • 46. Sharing our space at the Center for Dance with other artistic groups this summer
  • 47. Next Season’s Academy programs
  • 48. Continuing to offer Student Rush Tickets so high school and college students can experience our performance series
  • 49. Coming together as an organization and community to honor our 50th Anniversary with a Day of Giving
  • 50. Continuing to produce artistically excellent programming for the next 50 years and beyond!