B A L L E T M E M P H I S

Thirty years ago there was no fullyprofessional ballet company in Memphis.

It was 1986. Civic leaders of the time knew that in order to become a unique and desirable

city, attracting top talent as well as recognition, Memphis must have a dynamic, thriving and

enriching arts environment.

With a vision for what life could be—what Memphis could be—a new leader emerged

and generous donors and patrons joined. A young ballet teacher—a fearless woman who

emerged as a standout in the field, Dorothy Gunther Pugh—took the reigns and built a national

reputation for our city’s inclusiveness, cultural heritage and a caliber of training and performance that is. . .

. . . still changing the conversation today.

“The climate that Ballet Memphis brings to the stage is unorthodox,

fresh and large-spirited.” —Alastair Macaulay, The New York Times

Memphis is our home, and donors are an essential part of the engine that makesBallet Memphis possible.

Today, Ballet Memphis is a leader in changing the lives of the people it serves.

The Ford Foundation recognized us as a “national treasure.” Each season, we

create more new work than any company our size—work that heralds the

stories, music and history of our region—building a new civic pride and exciting

everyone with newfound curiosity and delight.

We’ve taken the banner of Memphis to the world’s most prestigious stages—

from The Joyce Theater in New York City to the John F. Kennedy Center in

Washington, D.C., from Florida to California, from Paris to Tokyo—shattering

age-old assumptions of dance along the way.

memphis

A glimpse at the global footprint of Ballet Memphis

touring and recruiting in recent years

Guatemala

Mexico City

Miami

Quebec

Spokane

Los Angeles

Houston

Baltimore

St. LouisNew York City

Washington, DC

Ballet Memphis Aims To Broaden The Conversation Around Dance”The Huffington Post

“

Never have we seen a company with such precision

and uniqueness and dedication to the essence of

what they truly represent. Not only Memphis, but the

United States, has an ambassador in Ballet Memphis.”

Organizacion Para Las Artes, Guatemala

Panama

The pathos is riveting

and imaginative”

The New York Times

The ache and darkness Ballet Memphis put onstage was more than a dance, it was an echo of human experience.”The Washington Post

Infectious joy and first-rate technique”

Broadway World

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October  29,  2015

“The importance of the arts should never “The importance of the arts should never be underestimated in building our city and be underestimated in building our city and our quality of life for residents and visitors. our quality of life for residents and visitors.

Thank you, Ballet Memphis, for sharing Thank you, Ballet Memphis, for sharing that unique Memphis spirit with so many that unique Memphis spirit with so many

outside of our home.”outside of our home.”—Kevin Kane, President, Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau—Kevin Kane, President, Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau

TokyoParis

Glasgow

Madrid

Helsinki Moscow

Balletic surprises come from unexpected sources”

Ballet Times of London

October  29,  2015

Pugh organizes her commissions around big ideas: the river

at Memphis’ side, the city itself, identity (yes, all of it.)”

Fjord Review

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“If there is a ballet company in the United States that takes racial integration more seriously than

this one, I ’d love to know about it.” —Mindy Aloff, The Dance Enthusiast

1. Heralding a visionary, healthy and

inclusive Memphis to national and

international audiences.

2. Engaging new audiences to share

their voices through innovative free

programming, family days and

community events.

3. Increasing the number of

professional dancers who call

Memphis home from

two to 32.

4. Elevating performance experiences

to create record ticket sales.

5. Growing the number of students

who are able to achieve soaring

minds and bodies with us to an

all-time high.

6. Encouraging thousands of children

annually to explore, dance and

move with the help of our partners

in South Memphis, Frayser and at

venues across the city.

Today, our combined programs—professional company, ballet school, educational community enrichment and Pi lates Centre—provide upl ift ing and imaginative experiences for 80,000 people annually.

Together, we are:

As artists and leaders we will continue helping people soar.

invigorate

As we begin the next 30 years of service, we are committed to a Company that is Memphis-centric, sustainable, innovative and one with the community.

“Ballet Memphis is a tremendous asset. Merging its strong, focused leadership with its daring artistic achievements, this organization is

bringing well-deserved national attention to the region.” —Jared Morrison, Director of Performing Arts,

Tennessee Arts Commission

Just steps from our Midtown performance

space at Playhouse on the Square in the

heart of Memphis’ burgeoning performing

arts district, we will build an entirely new

approach to engagement that is accessible

by more Memphians—children, young

people, adults, families, Pilates students—and

you, our patrons and friends. It will stand

tall at the corner of Madison and Cooper

and will pulse with life nearly 365 days a

year—offering increased visitors and buyers

to our city’s core.

build

Our current building in Cordova is at capacity,

but our hearts and minds are ever expanding .

Our School and community outreach programs

are full, but we have so much more to share and

with many more whom we have yet to reach.

We must build for tomorrow.

Ballet Memphis is one of the nonprofit arts and

cultural organizations that generate a total of

$125Mrevenue for Memphis—helping to support local restaurants,

retail stores, parking garages and businesses.*

With you,we will build

a public spacethat pulses

with life.

“The Ballet Memphis home will offer a truly unique and transporting experience unlike any other in our city—an urban hub for art and imagination, and opportunities for real community where everyone has a place. It’s fitting that this prominent corner will mark the tangible culmination of a genuine Memphis story of tenacity and creativity three decades in the making, and the launching point for the next many more.”

–LeeAnne Cox, Chairman, Bui lding Committee

“A vibrant arts community is key to a thriving city. We see firsthand how our arts partners, including Ballet Memphis, help to

recruit and retain talent to Memphis.” —Phil Trenary, President and CEO, Greater Memphis Chamber

Ballet MemphisFirst Floor

EXTERIOR1. Urban Plaza2. Café3. Welcoming Art Wall (copper exterior)4. Courtyard One5. Courtyard Two6. Enchanted Gardens7. Bench (5) Exterior

INTERIOR8. Flying Hall9. Costume Shop & Display10. Donor Recognition Wall11. Soaring Hall12. Artist Wall13. Box Office14. Board Room15. Reception Area16. Innovation Lounge17. CEO Office18. The Nest19. Conference Room (2)20. Visiting Artist Changing Room21. Physical Therapy Room22. The Janet Parke

Ballet School Office23. Monumental Stairs24. Offices (8)25. The Ballet Memphis

Production Office26. Bench (8) Interior

STUDIOS27. Performance Studio28. Performance Studio Seating Area

and Overhead Viewing29. Junior Company Studio30. Discovery Studio31. Imagination Studio32. Pilates Studio33. Professional Company Dressing Room (2)34. Dressing Room (2)Fi

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“We think it’s essential to demonstrate how dance and movement furthers inclusion, curiosity and delight.”—Dorothy Gunther Pugh, from The Huffington Post

Ballet MemphisSecond Floor

EXTERIOR1. Urban Plaza2. Café3. Welcoming Art Wall (copper exterior)4. Courtyard One5. Courtyard Two6. Enchanted Gardens7. Bench (5) Exterior

INTERIOR8. Flying Hall9. Costume Shop & Display10. Donor Recognition Wall11. Soaring Hall12. Artist Wall13. Box Office14. Board Room15. Reception Area16. Innovation Lounge17. CEO Office18. The Nest19. Conference Room (2)20. Visiting Artist Changing Room21. Physical Therapy Room22. The Janet Parke

Ballet School Office23. Monumental Stairs24. Offices (8)25. The Ballet Memphis

Production Office26. Bench (8) Interior

STUDIOS27. Performance Studio28. Performance Studio Seating Area

and Overhead Viewing29. Junior Company Studio30. Discovery Studio31. Imagination Studio32. Pilates Studio33. Professional Company Dressing Room (2)34. Dressing Room (2)S

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a campaign for growth

Ballet Memphis Headquarters

A New Home in the

Performing Arts District

We will build a one-of-a-kind,

38,000-square-foot home,

fi l led with soaring ceil ings, an

urban plaza, green spaces, a

healthy café, interactive areas

for participating, innovative

studio designs for viewing,

premier Pilates training and

Ballet Memphis School, and

imaginative new curriculum

experiences for everyone.

Investment: $21 M

This reserve and enhanced endowment

will ensure the continued quality of Ballet

Memphis’ new work, our commitment to

innovation and our ability to recruit the

most talented dancers in cities across the

nation and around the globe, who will l ive,

work and perform in Memphis.

Investment: $10M

$5M Artistic Reserve | $5M Enhanced Endowment

The Ballet MemphisLegacy Endowmentand Artistic Reserve

4. Providing a unique space where everyone can experience dance up close in a barrier-free setting and for partner organizations to expand their own performance capacity.

5. Establishing a venue like no other in the nation that will attract talent and artists refl ective of our city and our country.

6. Creating a fund that endows new work and continues Ballet Memphis’ legacy of creation that exemplifi es our heritage and heralds Ballet Memphis as a center of American dance.

1. Creating a Memphis destination that’s welcoming and inspiring to all who enter–a place where creativity is effusive. A place filled with natural light, soaring ceilings, handmade and captivating costumes, rotating art exhibits and sustainable, contemporary building materials.

2. Engaging all ages in a myriad of innovative ways—from sharing a meal to catching a lecture or participating in a class on art or movement—and creating new revenue streams in the process.

3. Building a “see-through” headquarters where professionals, students, children, staff, patrons and citizens can explore their desires with the encouragement to try new things, the access to an ever-changing variety of worlds, and the space where ideas can fly.

An investment in Ballet Memphis is an investment in Memphis, in people and in tomorrow. With you we are:

investinvestinvestinvestinvest

. . .together we choose not to be grounded in the same, but to soar

with the possible.

Investors will receive exceptional exposure, at an exceptional location in support of an exceptional Memphis treasure.

Ballet Memphis seeks to raise $31M, and as a result, position the Company for

sustained and growing operations on the stage, in the community and across

the nation. Caring and generous Memphians who share this vision have made

a leadership gift of $15.5M to spark the construction and progress of this

important Memphis project.

More than 50 unique and highly visible naming opportunities suitable for

corporate and individual recognition are available for your consideration.

Life can be engaging and invigorating when we look beyond ourselves and

invite others to fly with us. We invite you to join us in this bold journey.

soar

Contact: Carolyn McCormick, Director of Development, Bal let Memphis

901 . 507 . 4173 / cmccormick@balletmemphis.org

balletmemphis.org/forlife

* Sources: ArtsMemphis (Annual Report, 2015); Arts & Economic Prosperity IV (The Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts and Culture Organizations and Their Audiences in the Greater Memphis Area, 2010); Commercial Appeal (Editorial: Arts Matter in Struggling Economy, 2012); Memphis Business Journal (Economic Impact of the Arts: $125 Million, 2012)

“Being nurtured by Ballet Memphis and being able to create and perform meaningful work has allowed me to grow as a person and as an artist. As I ’m often asked to create dances based on subjects on which I may know little, I ’ve had to read more, watch more, talk to people in many different fields and walks of life. And I’ve built a life in Memphis in the process. It’s home.” —Steven McMahon, Associate Artistic Director, Ballet Memphis