The Kentucky Center for the Arts Foundation has been awarded nearly $12,000 from South Arts, a regional arts organization working in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The award -- facilitated through the Kentucky Arts Council -- is a touring grant that enables select nonprofits to present performances by artists from other states.
With the money, the Kentucky Center will host performances by Alonzo King LINES Ballet and Louisville native, Wendy Whelan.
LINES is a contemporary ballet company based in San Francisco. They'll perform at the Kentucky Center on Jan. 27, 2017.
Whelan spent 30 years at the New York City Ballet where she danced virtually all the major Balanchine roles and originated roles in ballets by notable choreographers, like William Forsythe, Twyla Tharp, Christopher Wheeldon and Shen Wei. She also served as a guest artist with The Royal Ballet and the Kirov Ballet.
Whelan will collaborate with choreographer Brian Brooks in a show called “Some of a Thousand Words,” which will premiere in Louisville on March 8, 2017.
The Kentucky Center is one of six Kentucky arts organizations to receive grants from South Arts, which, when combined, total more than $37,000.
In a recent news release, Kentucky Arts Council Executive Director Lori Meadow said the grants are important because they give organizations the ability to broaden their programming and offer performances from artists that local audiences might otherwise never see.
"We congratulate the six organizations that received this grant and encourage people in those communities to take advantage of these great venues and the outstanding performances they present,” Meadow said.
More information about both performances can be found here.
