Creating Space to Move: Capital Planning

Since you’re taking the time to read this, we here at St. Paul Ballet want to thank you for sharing your love of dance with us. Just by being in our studios, you help open our doors for so many dancers seeking a joyous, inclusive space to study ballet. After all, what better way to access beauty than to create it with your own body? 

This is the official launch of a short-term $10,000 fundraising campaign to address exciting developments in SPB's near future. We are reaching out for your support because, as a member of the St. Paul Ballet community, you know a few things about how Ballet makes life better.  

You know that the chaos of life can Chaseé into an expression of beauty. And that, sometimes, you must Jeté yourself into a new situation to make new friends. You’ve marveled at how our Youth Company Pirouette and Plié their way to becoming the next generation of Ballet artists. 

Perhaps you haven’t attended enough classes to understand the joy of Ballet-vocab puns. But perhaps you’ve attended regularly enough to recognize something else: 

There isn’t supposed to be a large empty space in the middle of SPB’s studios. 

To address the elephant-sized vacancy, SPB is excited (and healthily nervous!) to reveal that our landlord vacated the Fairview Business Center in March. This allows St. Paul Ballet to explore the possibility of a collaborative dance center with our long-time partners CAAM Chinese Dance Theater and Young Dance.  

We secured a one-year lease with the building owner and began a Strategic Capitol Planning project with Creative Enterprise Zone (CEZ) and Social Benefit Broker, Platform. The total funds needed to support the SPB staff undertaking this process is $50,000+. 

At this point, St. Paul Ballet is dreaming of a space that will cultivate a community filled with movement. Recent blows to Minnesota’s Dance Community point to a need for cross-generational, cross-discipline, radically inclusive venue for dance education and performance.  

With the right pre-development work, who knows what else we can explore?  

So, when you think about your present with St. Paul Ballet, can you envision helping our future thrive? Help us plan with a tax-deductible donation today!  

Here it is- the elusive direct ask. Remember: this is a $10,000 campaign towards a $50,000+ goal. We’ll put it in levels to nudge you along. Please give at a level that feels meaningful to you!  

Will you give $1,000 to imagine a dance space full of play and learning for all ages? 

Will you give $500 to help plan a sustainable, collaborative, radically inclusive creative space? 

Will you give $100 to envision a teacher-driven and student-centered hub for dance? 

Will you give $25 to buy our staff lunch at one of their 10,000 impending Planning meetings? 

And one final challenge ask: 

Will you consider making that donation a monthly gift?  

Your consideration alone is worth the world to us!