Festive Event Officially Unveils Facility’s Expansion and Renovation
Nashville Ballet will unveil its newly expanded and renovated facility to the public at its free Family Grand Opening Celebration Saturday, May 30 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. at The Martin Center for Nashville Ballet in the Sylvan Heights neighborhood.
The free family-friendly event will include interactive children’s activities, storytimes with Nashville Ballet dancers, free food, Peter Pan-themed arts and crafts, giveaways, face painting, balloon artists and more.
“School of Nashville Ballet has doubled in size in the last three years, and we raised $5.2 million toward a new building that outwardly reflects the quality of performance and instruction happening within the walls,” Nashville Ballet Artistic Director & CEO Paul Vasterling said. “This expansion opens a new chapter for Nashville Ballet—allowing us to expand our school significantly and bring this art we’re so passionate about to more people.”
The Family Grand Opening Celebration will officially begin with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9:45 a.m. with Mayor Karl Dean and other notable guests. Beginning at 10 a.m., all activities will be offered on a rolling basis until 2 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to participate at any time as they make their way through the new building, complete with a helpful treasure map to guide along the way.
Children’s interactive activities will include an adventure room with an obstacle course, a parachute room with entertaining props and more. Nashville Ballet dancers will perform in short kid-friendly performances of Jump, Frog, Jump and Peter Pan, complete with an appearance by Captain Hook. Stop by Neverland to make Peter Pan hats, Tinkerbell wings and Captain Hooks at the arts and craft station.
Nashville Ballet’s expansion was made possible by its ELEVATE Capital Campaign, a public fundraising initiative that was launched in June 2014. Nashville Ballet purchased the adjoining space, previously occupied by Climb Nashville, and increased its facility from 31,000 to 44,000 square feet. The expansion includes three new studios (for a total of seven), a larger lobby, additional parking and more administrative space.
“We want our 30th anniversary season as a company to illustrate how transformative the power of dance can be,” Vasterling said. “By expanding our class offerings and our space, we can welcome even more students into School of Nashville Ballet to experience that transformation themselves.”
About Nashville Ballet
Nashville Ballet is the largest professional ballet company in Tennessee. Nashville Ballet presents a varied repertoire of classical ballet and contemporary works by noted choreographers, including original works by Artistic Director & CEO Paul Vasterling. Nashville Ballet and the second company NB2 (a pre-professional training company) serve nearly 60,000 adults and children annually through performances and our outreach and community engagement programming. Curriculum-based outreach programs bring dance education to community centers, colleges, public libraries and public elementary, middle and high schools across the state. School of Nashville Ballet provides world-class instruction in ballet and other forms of dance for dancers of all ages.
Nashville Ballet is funded in part by Ingram Charitable Trust, Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission, Tennessee Arts Commission, Bridgestone Americas Trust Fund, The Shubert Foundation, Caterpillar Financial, The Memorial Foundation, Publix Super Market Charities, The HCA Foundation, The Mall at Green Hills, Gateway Tire and Service Centers, and thousands of individuals who contribute to our annual operating fund.
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