Mission Statement

With passion, integrity and artistic excellence, we create inspiring, life-changing experiences through dance.

Founded in 1992, we pursued our mission through arts education and community outreach programs in the north metro area for 10 years before creating a professional company, which dramatically expanded our capacity to provide meaningful dance experiences for the greater Denver metropolitan area. We also felt this company needed to fill an artistic gap in the area, as no companies were regularly producing new work that further developed the art form and attracted new audience members. At that time, we also changed our name from Youth Ballet Colorado to Ballet Nouveau Colorado to reflect the expansion in programming and the contemporary aesthetic of our new company. In 2007, internationally renowned artists Garrett Ammon and Dawn Fay moved to Colorado upon their retirement from dancing to take the helm of BNC's company.

The Company

Under the visionary leadership of Garrett Ammon (Artistic Director) and Dawn Fay (Associate Artistic Director), our company is quickly gaining national reputation for dedication to vibrant new work that is engaging and full of ideas. We currently present a season of five productions at multiple Denver metro theatres. Our company of 14 dancers is one of the most versatile contemporary troupes in the nation. Stemming from the innovation we seek for the art form, the majority of our repertoire consists of world-premiere works, created specifically for our artists and our audiences. Last season's four productions attracted more than 6,000 audience members.

The School

Ballet training can be very elitist and inaccessible. Students typically must choose between quality of training and quality of experience. We firmly believe that such a tradeoff is unnecessary. We have a deep and long-standing commitment to providing the best, professional-quality training to ALL students – regardless of age, ability, aspiration or socio-economic status – and we do so for more than 300 students every year. Our excellence in implementing this philosophy was certified by the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts in 1999 and was recognized by the Colorado Legislature in 2002. The lives we change through our school include students of all backgrounds and futures, and what we provide these students is of universal importance – a high-quality experience that broadens horizons while also teaching lessons of hard work, respect for self and others, and personal responsibility.

Outreach

Outreach to at-risk and underserved populations is one of the most obvious ways we change lives through dance. We consistently provide more than simple free entertainment – we make our engaging, enriching approach to ballet accessible to people who would never otherwise experience the art form. Our primary focus is on elementary-aged children - in fact, BNC's school-based outreach programs include some of the most in-depth and comprehensive partnerships in the area, ensuring the maximum impact on the lives of the participants. We also reach out to other underserved segments of the community, including low income and senior residents, for a total of 20,000 contacts annually.
Our signature program:
• Title I Elementary School Partnerships – We work hand in hand with four elementary schools with very high-need populations to integrate dance into the fabric of the school. Using a model pioneered by the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts, these partnerships bring a full range of arts experiences to students over two years.