Louisville Ballet Receives $1 Million Anonymous Donation

Louisville Ballet
has a secret admirer. On Friday, the company announced that it had received a $1 million gift from an anonymous, New York City–based donor to help support the new artistic vision of artistic director Robert Curran, who was appointed last year. According to a statement, the donation will not only help the company expand its repertoire, but also allow it to commission new works, “including collaborative projects with local, national and international choreographers, visual artists and musicians, and more.”

Kentucky audiences will see that vision in action this October. Curran, who came to Louisville after a long career with The Australian Ballet, where he was a principal dancer, opens his first planned season with his reimagined version of Coppélia. Not only will sets and costumes be designed by local artists, but the story will be set in 1917 Louisville, just before the United States entered World War I. “This gift not only recognizes the exciting potential of our new vision,” says Curran, “it also recognizes the strength of our entire arts community and the city that strongly supports us all.”