To INSPIRE diverse audiences with vibrant classical, new classical and contemporary ballet. EDUCATE and challenge individuals to reach their potential by providing the highest level of classical ballet training and performance opportunities in a culture of self-discipline creativity and respect. CULTIVATE collaborations that expand the availability, access and appreciation for the arts regionally, making Lexington a unique and vibrant city in which to live and work.

Lexington Ballet Company was chartered May 24, 1974 by Nels Jorgensen with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Mr. Jorgenson established a professional dance company and a ballet school with the same mission that exists today; to present high caliber productions, to educate youth in the art of ballet, and to engage with the community through outreach. The first production of The Nutcracker was presented in 1974 at Transylvania University's Haggin Auditorium. The ballet was granted 501(c)(3) status under the name Lexington Ballet Company, Inc. in the following year. The ballet moved into its current studios becoming a fixture in the heart of downtown Lexington.

• Performing Arts

Lexington Ballet's upcoming season features vibrant ballet performances, accessible training opportunities for dancers of all levels, and community-centered programming across distinct seasonal initiatives. 2027 begins with a collaboration between Executive Artistic Director Kevin Jenkins and Kentucky Ballet Theatre, for which he will choreograph an original work. This project serves as an important advancement in fostering a culture of artistic collaboration in Lexington's dance community. Alongside this, we will host a gala to bring together the supporters and community members who play an essential role in bringing the season to life.

Training and education remains a central component of our mission. In the summer we will host a three-week training intensive, with each week dedicated to a different cohort: intermediate to advanced adults in week one, beginning adults in week two, and kids in week three. This structure allows us to give each cohort level-specific instruction. We are also proud to continue hosting our beginner and intermediate adult ballet classes at Proof Fitness every Monday and Thursday in downtown Lexington, a program that has become a supportive and accessible pathway for adults beginning their ballet journey. Additionally, Executive Artistic Director Kevin Jenkins and Lexington Ballet dancers will lead a series of free masterclasses at dance studios throughout the area, bringing training opportunities directly to dancers across Lexington. This initiative allows us to engage with dancers at every level and strengthen our connection to the Lexington dance community.

Our Fall performance builds upon our artistic partnership with singer Bee Taylor, an influential regional artist. This show will be held at the Lexington Opera House, bringing together her band and our dancers for a collaborative, evening-length celebration of live music and dance. Our artistic partnership with Bee Taylor includes a prior joint performance at Castle & Key Distillery, a collaboratively produced music video that was featured in our 2026 Choreography ON Camera performance at The Kentucky Theatre, and a tour to Somerset with the Lexington Philharmonic. We will also present two showings of Deconstructed at 21c Hotel, an original event begun in 2026 that weaves a four-course meal together with dance performed between courses, transforming a traditional performance into an immersive artistic experience.

Community access is always a consideration in our program delivery, but it is especially at the heart of two of the season's most important initiatives. Using a stage purchased through a dedicated grant, we will bring free outdoor performances directly into communities across Lexington that often face barriers to accessing live dance. These performances meet people where they live, removing the barriers of cost and distance that often keep ballet out of reach. Further extending our reach, we will take our production of The Nutcracker on a regional tour, bringing this beloved holiday classic to towns without their own ballet companies, including a stop at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond.

Together, the season combines both artistic ambition and a genuine commitment to our community. It includes one inter-organizational collaboration, one gala, three weeks of summer intensives, ongoing weekly adult ballet classes, a free masterclass series, three ticketed performances across two Lexington venues, a series of free outdoor shows, and a multi-stop regional tour. Every program serves a piece of our mission, from strengthening artistic partnerships and financial stability to expanding access and bringing the joy of live ballet to more of Central Kentucky than ever before.

Lexington Ballet promotes diversity by broadening representation among board leadership, providing accessible training opportunities, and producing community-centered programming. This year, we added three new board members to bring diversity of identity and perspective to our organizational leadership. Our free masterclass series brings accessible ballet training directly to dancers across Lexington. Two seasonal programs were intentionally developed to expand access to live dance. Our free outdoor performances will remove the barriers of cost and distance to reach underserved communities in Lexington, while our regional tour of The Nutcracker will bring the beloved holiday classic to towns without their own ballet companies, promoting positive connections with communities across Lexington and Central Kentucky. Our partnerships with Kentucky Ballet Theatre, PROOF Fitness, 21c Hotel, Bee Taylor, and local dance studios also serve as ways to expand our reach within the community.

Lexington Ballet’s target audience is Lexington residents of all ages, with particular attention to children, adults, families, and residents who face financial or geographic barriers to accessing ballet. Lexington is home to 330,000 residents . 20% of residents are under 18, 65% are ages 18-64, and 15% are 65+. Approximately 66% identify as White, 17% as Black, 10% as White (Hispanic/Latino), 5% as Asian, 3% as two or more races, and 0.5% as either American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, or Other Pacific Islander. 92% of residents ages 25+ are high school graduates, with 48% holding a Bachelor’s degree or higher. Median household income is around $70,000, with about 15% of households below the poverty line. These statistics inform our focus on accessible programming for varied ages and socioeconomic levels, including our free outdoor performances and masterclasses. While ballet often appeals to the elite, our goal is the bring our art form to those less familiar with it.

Lexington Ballet’s upcoming season benefits the community by expanding access to training opportunities for all ages and experience levels, bringing live dance into communities where it may otherwise be inaccessible, and strengthening the arts ecosystem through artistic collaboration.

A central benefit of the season is increased access to ballet training for all ages and experience levels. Our three-week summer intensive provides level-specific training for intermediate and advanced adults, beginning adults, and children, allowing participants to receive instruction appropriate to their experience. Free masterclasses led by Executive Artistic Director Kevin Jenkins and Lexington Ballet dancers will bring training opportunities directly to dancers across Lexington. Weekly beginner and intermediate adult ballet classes at PROOF Fitness in downtown Lexington provide an ongoing, welcoming entry point for adults interested in beginning or continuing with their ballet training. Adults are an often overlooked demographic for this art form and we focus on making classes accessible to the 18-80 age range.

Our upcoming season features programming specifically designed to tackle the barriers of cost and distance that often keep live dance out of reach. Using a stage purchased through a dedicated grant, we will present free outdoor performances in various Lexington communities to meet people where they live. By bringing performances directly to our communities, we can engage residents who may not otherwise attend a traditional ticketed ballet performance. Additionally, we will take our production of The Nutcracker on a regional tour to towns in Central Kentucky without their own ballet companies.

This season’s programming serves as a way to foster a culture of collaboration in Lexington’s arts sector. Executive Artistic Director Kevin Jenkins will choreograph an original work for Kentucky Ballet Theatre, fostering a relationship with another culturally significant ballet company in the Lexington region. Our continued artistic partnership with regional musician Bee Taylor will bring together ballet and live music through a collaborative performance at the Lexington Opera House.

Together, these programs contribute to a more vibrant and accessible arts community by expanding participation, supporting local artists and organizations, providing meaningful ballet training opportunities, removing barriers to live dance, and introducing ballet to broader audiences. This upcoming season allows Lexington Ballet to serve not only existing audiences, but also new participants, families, adult learners, dancers, and community members who may not have previously viewed ballet and live dance as accessible or relevant to them.

Lexington Ballet utilizes a multi-channel communications strategy to engage both new and existing audiences. We distribute program information through social media, radio interviews, email blasts, and paid online promotions. Since the beginning of last season, our Instagram following has more than doubled to over 12,400 followers, while Executive Artistic Director Kevin Jenkins’ 171,000 Instagram followers provide an additional platform. We leverage the reach of both accounts to distribute information about our seasonal programming to a wide online audience. In addition, we work with local Lexington influencers to post collaboratively, bringing their audience to our performances. Our branding emphasizes Lexington Ballet as an innovative, collaborative, and community-centered arts organization, highlighting immersive programming like Deconstructed at 21c Hotel, partnerships with artists such as Bee Taylor, and initiatives like our free outdoor performances. Radio interviews and relation

Lexington Ballet's season is anchored by a network of partnerships that span the arts sector, hospitality, education, and community venues throughout Lexington and Central Kentucky. Within the dance community, we are deepening our ties with Kentucky Ballet Theatre, with Executive Artistic Director Kevin Jenkins choreographing an original work for their company. This collaboration intends to strengthen the broader culture of artistic collaboration among Lexington's dance organizations. We are also continuing our ongoing artistic partnership with regional recording artist Bee Taylor, culminating in an evening-length collaborative performance at the Lexington Opera House. This partnership serves as a way to bring dance to audiences beyond traditional ballet attendees.

In addition to our arts partners, we work with local businesses and venues to expand accessibility and diversify programming. Our weekly adult ballet classes are hosted at Proof Fitness in downtown Lexington, reaching adult beginners through a wellness-industry partner rather than a traditional dance studio. Our free masterclasses bring Kevin Jenkins and Lexington Ballet dancers into dance studios throughout the region, building relationships with various training organizations. Collaborations with Proof Fitness and local dance studios create low-stakes entry points to dance training for adults of all ages and levels, pre-professional dancers, and recreational dance communities alike. Our Deconstructed dinner-and-dance series is produced in partnership with 21c Hotel, integrating live performance into the hospitality and culinary sector and driving foot traffic to downtown Lexington. Our regional tour of The Nutcracker includes a partnership with Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond as well as various other venues, bringing professional dance into communities without their own ballet company and driving economic activity in smaller Kentucky towns.

Finally, our free outdoor performance series is designed to bring live dance directly to Lexington communities that face the greatest barriers to arts access, functioning as a direct community engagement initiative in partnership with the neighborhoods and community sites that host them.

These partnerships position Lexington Ballet as a connective institution within the region's cultural ecosystem, cross-pollinating audiences between dance, music, culinary arts, and higher education, and modeling inter-organizational collaboration.

Lexington Ballet’s season advances our mission through three pillars: inspire, educate, and cultivate. We aim to INSPIRE audiences through vibrant ballet performances, including our collaborative performance with musician Bee Taylor, as well as immersive programming like Deconstructed at 21c Hotel. We aim to EDUCATE dancers and community members by providing accessible training opportunities for dancers of all ages and levels, including our summer intensive, ongoing adult classes, and free community masterclasses. Finally, we aim to CULTIVATE collaborations that expand access and appreciation for live dance throughout Lexington and Central Kentucky. Free outdoor performances will bring ballet directly into Lexington communities, while our regional tour of The Nutcracker will reach audiences in communities without their own ballet companies. Together, these goals strengthen Lexington’s vibrant arts ecosystem while making ballet more accessible and engaging to broader audiences.

Lexington Ballet will use a combination of audience feedback, community input, and internal evaluation to assess whether the season’s goals and objectives are achieved. Following our performances, audiences will be invited to complete a brief survey as they leave the venue. Survey responses will be reviewed to assess the strengths and weaknesses of our programming. Evaluation will also extend beyond anonymous surveys. Executive Artistic Director will meet directly with local audiences, community organizers, arts leaders, and other members of the Lexington community to gather direct feedback on Lexington Ballet’s programming and to better understand the organization’s role within the local community. These conversations will provide insight into whether programs are reaching intended audiences and meeting community needs. Following major performances and programs, Lexington Ballet will conduct internal debriefing sessions with dancers, board members, staff, and volunteers. These conversations will identify both what worked well and what requires attention, brainstorming recommendations for future performances and programs. These evaluation methods will allow Lexington Ballet to measure progress toward the season’s goals and objectives. This process is particularly important when it comes to our community-centered initiatives, including free outdoor performances, masterclasses, and accessible training opportunities. Engaging those audiences with post-performance surveys and discussions will enable us to tap into perspectives that will inform the future of those programs.

For the third week of our 2027 summer training intensive (June or July, dates TBD) we will be able to offer a handful of free spots to LexArts Cultural Pass holders. Additionally, our free masterclass series will likely continue into the summer and would be well-suited to LexArts Cultural Pass.

Our free outdoor performances occurring throughout 2027 will be applicable to A Teacher’s Guide.

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• Promotional-Material-Lexington-Ballet.pdf

• Lexington-Ballet-Letter-of-Support.pdf
• Letter-of-Support-Bee-Taylor.pdf