KANSAS CITY, MO — Kansas City Ballet Artistic Director William Whitener announced the inaugural season at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. Whitener stated, “We are honored to become the Resident Ballet Company of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The visionary and innovative design of the theater will provide limitless possibilities for the Ballet. The increased amount of space in the entire facility, inclusion of advanced technology and the welcoming nature of the theater complex will serve our audiences and artists. I am looking forward to expanding our repertory and reaching new audiences as we move into the future.”

Jeffrey J. Bentley, Executive Director of the Ballet adds, “We at Kansas City Ballet see this as an extraordinary gift which will insure our continued growth as a cultural asset in Kansas City. We are enormously grateful to Julia Kauffman and the many philanthropists who followed her lead in bringing our future into our present.”

All performances of the Ballet will be accompanied by the Kansas City Symphony conducted by Kansas City Ballet Music Director Ramona Pansegrau.

Visit www.kcballet.org for more information about Kansas City Ballet’s 2011-12 season.