Ballet Wichita has been one of the pillars of the community's arts organizations since 1973, helping stimulate a vibrant cultural landscape in Wichita and advancing the art of dance through exceptional performance and educational opportunities throughout the state. Our education and outreach programs, the creation of new dance works, and the preservation of time-honored ballet classics all benefit from your support.
This organization received funding for general operational support from the City of Wichita. Because of the support of all of our sponsors, we can continue to introduce and advance the art of dance to Kansans. We are grateful for their generosity.
This organization received funding for general operational support from the City of Wichita. Because of the support of all of our sponsors, we can continue to introduce and advance the art of dance to Kansans. We are grateful for their generosity.
Services
Each year, Ballet Wichita performs for over 20,000 people including eight performances of the treasured holiday ballet, the Nutcracker. Through the company's innovative and growing arts educational and outreach programs, Ballet Wichita buses nearly 6,000 elementary-age students to its annual matinee performances of the Nutcracker (often a first-time exposure to both dance and live theatre for students).
Recently appointed Resident Director of Ballet Wichita, David Justin joins the company after serving in academia for 17 years. David has also been an interim ballet master and men's program coordinator for Kansas City Ballet, and was the founding artistic director of American Repertory Ensemble. In Austin, TX, David was a co-producer of the David Mark Cohen New Works Festival as well as a professor at UT Austin.
Ballet Wichita has been touring classical and original ballets throughout the state for nearly three decades, sharing the joy and passion of dance with rural communities with productions like The Nutcracker Ballet and Cinderella. Full Length, Indoor Performances: Technical Requirements: 30' x 30' proscenium stage; dressing area for dancers; stage hands to assist with all aspects of the production; a lighting and sound system.
Ballet Wichita is actively engaged in community efforts to introduce and advance the art of dance to Kansans. Our Nutcracker Matinees for schools bring students from all over the city of Wichita to enjoy ballet (often for the first time). Introducing children to the art of dance engages them to be culturally active and stimulates an interest in the arts.
BALLET IN THE PARK - Help transport dancers, costumes and props, set up at site, load-up and return to studio after show for our popular Ballet in the Park series. SCHOOL MATINEES - Help usher elementary students to our school matinee shows or help backstage. Would you like to join in the fun and excitement of Ballet Wichita's productions and fundraisers?
Reviews (10)
Anonymous Smith
Nov 26, 2019
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There are a lot of conflicting reviews of Ballet Wichita from the past few years, so I thought I would clear up a few things:
Ballet Wichita has been providing the highest quality arts education and performance opportunities in the area for local dancers for the past 40+ years. As someone who has participated in their performances and outreach programs, I can personally say that choosing to be in Ballet Wichita's Nutcracker and other performances was one of the best life decisions I ever made. I made friendships that will last a lifetime, learned the value of discipline and diligence, learned
Ballet Wichita has been providing the highest quality arts education and performance opportunities in the area for local dancers for the past 40+ years. As someone who has participated in their performances and outreach programs, I can personally say that choosing to be in Ballet Wichita's Nutcracker and other performances was one of the best life decisions I ever made. I made friendships that will last a lifetime, learned the value of discipline and diligence, learned
Nadia Khalidi
Nov 10, 2019
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I was a dancer with Ballet Wichita for 8 years. I danced as a soloist and principal, and all of the roles were engaging and innovative. I am now back as an administrative assistant and couldn't be more proud to work for such a professional company. Ballet Wichita provides professional opportunities for their dancers including touring, dancing to a live symphony, and working alongside guest artists from around the world and U.S. Come check us out with seasonal performances--not JUST the Nutcracker!
Dood J.
Sep 22, 2018
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What an awful disgrace… My family and I have been attending Ballet Wichita’s Nutcracker for 18 years. Obviously we enjoy the shows very much to have been such ardent fans for so long, not once missing a performance. Occasionally, in the near two-decade-long devotion, we’ve attended multiple shows to meet with others we’ve met through the shows or introduce friends to the Holiday tradition who may not have been too familiar with ballet previously. In our Holiday travels we have also taken in many other versions in the surrounding states and beyond. I much enjoyed the many different variations
Rusty Ford
Aug 18, 2018
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Absolutely despicable behavior from a once respected fine arts studio. This studio that has received so much from their patrons in both cash and donations of goods to provide the young dancers with the opportunity to participate in dance, instead purposely vandalized the props that had been built with these goods entrusted to them and set them out to be hauled off as the scrap to which they had been reduced. Having grown up in the arts, from stage and church productions as a small child to vocal, dance and musical performances and now a parent that has the honor of handing down the venerable tradition
Gregory Mistretta
Jan 19, 2018
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My mother was a student of the (famed) School of the Performing Arts in New York. My father a professional musician of 18 years in the city as well. I come from an artistic family. Being a musician and artist myself, I can appreciate self expression and adaptation based on an individual's vision, as long as that vision doesn't jeopardize the classic nature or integrity of the original artist's masterpiece. It is my opinion that the new direction the Ballet Wichita has chosen to take with this year's Nutcracker, has done just that! They have compromised a Tchaikovsky classic, not with subtle artistic
Marshall Campbell
Jan 03, 2018
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Jamie Wylie
Dec 16, 2017
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I attended Ballet Wichita’s Nutcracker performance this year as I have for over a decade. Will not be back… Wow, whoever found that guy that did the choreography put him back wherever you found him and wash your hands! What a racist hack! Same for the new artistic director. Not sure what happened to the woman that did both of these jobs before (according to the handouts I always save from each year it always showed the same woman anyway) but you need her back for sure! (I hope she’s OK and just retired or something, I don’t mean to be disrespectful to her or her family or anything!) Strange
Gabrielle Del Carmen
Oct 22, 2017
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Absolutely terrible! I’ve been to a nutcracker ballet performance every year in many different states and cities and the wichita ballets “new” version of it was BY FAR the worst one I’ve seen. It was so boring we left during the intermission. Costumes and choreography SLOPPY. Dancers mostly consisted of children and they were jumping around the stage the whole time. Older dancers could perform decently but were still stumbling. Such a waste of money, we will never be returning.
New Nutcracker
Jun 15, 2017
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Louis Belfort
Jun 14, 2017
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I've gone to see Ballet Wichita's production of the Nutcracker every year for about a decade. While always a good show, after a while, it starts to get a little old and dry with the same style year after year. This year they took a chance I see! It was totally re-imagined with a new set, costumes, dances, musical tempi, and story-line. I LOVED IT ALL---while some things seemed a bit rough around the edges at times and may not have been to my exact liking of style, the changes were a creative and welcome new experience! I would love to see Ballet Wichita do more like this in the future, especially