The Kansas City Ballet 2021-2022 Season features full-length favorites Dracula, The Nutcracker, and The Wizard of Oz as well as two mixed repertoire programs including works by George Balanchine, Edwaard Liang, and Lila York along with world premieres.
Kansas City Ballet 2021-2022 Season Schedule
Celts | October 15-24, 2021
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
- Wunderland by Edwaard Liang
- Serenade by George Balanchine
- Celts by Lila York
The 2021-2022 season opens with a mixed-repertoire performance featuring three acclaimed ballets that celebrate the emotional combination of movement and music. Edwaard Liang’s Wunderland, a winter wonderland of athletic dancing and intense passion, opens the show and is a gorgeous ballet washed in red and inspired by a giant snow globe.
George Balanchine’s Serenade is set in moonlight and is known as Balanchine’s most romantic ballet, an ode to the classic ballets Swan Lake and Giselle. Serenade is a milestone in dance and the first original ballet George Balanchine choreographed in America.
Finally, the program concludes with the featured work, Celts, the Kansas City premiere of a fiendish fusion of ballet and Irish step dance. Lila York debuted Celts at Boston Ballet – a year before Michael Flatley’s Riverdance became a sensation – and is a stunning fusion of Irish folk dance and ballet. Set to the music of The Chieftains and more, this celebration of Irish culture has brought audiences to their feet with its choreographically intense jig and captivating energy.
The Nutcracker | December 3-24, 2021
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
- The Nutcracker by Devon Carney
Kansas City Ballet’s beloved annual tradition entices the young and young-at-heart to let wonder ignite as childhood dreams dance once again. Clara, The Nutcracker Prince, Dr. Drosselmeier and the Sugar Plum Fairy unveil a magical theatrical experience wrapped with exquisite costumes, grand sets and captivating choreography.
Dracula | February 18-27, 2022
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
- Dracula by Michael Pink
Based on Bram Stoker’s classic gothic horror story and performed by the world-class dancers of Kansas City Ballet, Dracula is a spellbinding story of the nocturnal Count who survives on the blood of the living. Audiences will be mesmerized as they venture into the dark and eerie world of the infamous Count Dracula.
With the combination of dramatic choreography by Michael Pink, an original, haunting score by Philip Feeney, dazzling costumes by Lez Brotherston, thrilling sets, and shocking special effects, Dracula delivers sensuality and danger in a dance/theater narrative combining story-enhancing sound effects like the beating heart that opens the show and the frightened voices of the humans Dracula is stalking.
Accompanied by Kansas City Symphony, conducted by Kansas City Ballet Music Director Ramona Pansegrau, and featuring Feeney’s gripping score, the dramatic music and cinematic scenery will captivate audience members from curtain rise to curtain fall.
“Dracula is unlike any other ballet. It’s sinister and sensual at the same time; breathtaking yet horrific. The show has developed somewhat of a cult following, breaking box office records all over the world. I’m thrilled to be bringing it to Kansas City Ballet for the first time.” – Michael Pink
New Moves | March 24-27, 2022
Todd Bolender Center for Dance & Creativity
New Moves, one of Kansas City Ballet’s most popular performances, showcases contemporary ballet in an intimate setting. This limited-run production gives audiences a chance to see tomorrow’s sought- after choreographers today!
It is a very up close and visceral experience for audience and dancer alike, with all performances held in the Bolender Center’s Michael and Ginger Frost Studio Theater. Come see our Kansas City Ballet artists and emerging choreographers discover bold new ways of expression and feel the athleticism, beauty, power, and passion of never- before- seen dance creations!
The Wizard of Oz | May 13-22, 2022
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
- The Wizard of Oz by Septime Webre
The 2021-2022 Season concludes with the much-anticipated return of the record-breaking production of The Wizard of Oz, a $1 million production.
Every aspect of this ballet has been custom designed and created to wow audiences including choreography by Septime Webre, the creator of Alice (in wonderland), new music composed by Matthew Pierce, set design by Michael Raiford, costume design by Liz Vandal, lighting design by Trad A Burns, puppet design by Nicholas Mahon, and projection design by Aaron Rhyne.
Featured Photo for the Kansas City Ballet 2021-2022 Season of Whitney Huell in The Nutcracker; Photographer: Kenny Johnson, courtesy of Kansas City Ballet
