Festival Lineup for Community Event Announced

The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is excited to share the lineup of youth performing arts groups who will be performing at the FREE 2018 Future Stages Festival on Sunday, June 10, 2018.

As part of the Kauffman Center’s Open Doors Spotlight on Youth program, Future Stages Festival aims to provide area youth with the chance to exhibit and celebrate a variety of performing arts disciplines. Diverse dance, vocal, and theater performance groups from the Kansas City Metro area will grace the Center’s stages as part of the festival’s fifth year lineup. Large group performances will take place in Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Helzberg Hall, and Saint Luke’s Outdoor Stage. To celebrate the festival’s fifth year, a new Community Outdoor stage will showcase small performance groups and audience engagements including a stage combat training session and a community dance workshop. Performance groups for the 2018 festival include:

Photo by Jillian Shoptaw

• AileyCamp
• Arts in Motion Blkdance Shule
• Caruthers Creative Center’s Hot Stepperz
• Charlie Parker Memorial Jazz Ensemble
• Crescendo Conservatory’s Crescendo in Motion
• Fab 4 Quartet
• Future Jazz KC
• Heart of America Shakespeare Festival: Team Shakespeare
• Heart of America Youth ballet
• House of Dance/BEST Network
• ICE Studios Youth Dance
• Kansas City Boys Choir/Kansas City Girls Choir
• KC Ballet School
• KC Institute of Chinese Dance and Language
• KC Youth Percussion Ensemble
• KC Young Audiences Dance Students
• KC Young Audiences Garage Band
• Kristi’s Academy of Dance
• Lawrence Ballet Theatre
• Lily Zhang Li Dance Academy
• Lyric Opera: LyriKids
• Metropolitan Conservatory
• MTKC – SunRaise
• Mudra Dance Academy
• O’Riada Irish Dance Academy
• Ottawa Suzuki Strings
• Rhythm-scape
• Starlight STARS
• Take the Stage – Team EXCEL!
• The Smithville Ringleaders
• Traditional Music Society’s Soundz of Africa
• United Dance

FREE interactive crafts and events will take place all day on the Center’s south lawn and inside Brandmeyer Great Hall. Community partners have volunteered to provide these family-friendly activities to attendees. Among the wide range of activities, guests will be invited to make kites, build sculptures, create instruments, and dress up in costumes. Interactive arts activities are provided by:

Photo by Jillian Shoptaw

• American Institute of Architects – Kansas City
• Girl Scouts of NE Kansas & NW Missouri
• Great American Kites & Events
• Heart of America Shakespeare Festival
• The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art
• Kansas City Ballet
• Kansas City Chiefs
• Kansas City Symphony
• Kansas City Zoo
• KCPT Kids
• Lyric Opera of Kansas City
• Museum at Prairiefire
• Planet Play KC
• StoneLion Puppet Theatre
• UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance

RSVP to stay up to date on the event’s performance schedules, activities, and other details surrounding the festival. There will be a free ticket drawing for two registrants who RSVP prior to the event. Event details and updates can be found at kauffmancenter.org/futurestagesfestival.