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73-700: In 1993 and 1994, the Kennedy Center offered two series of ballet master classes for students with Farrell. In 1995, the Center expanded the program to a national level. This three weeks long yearly initiative of intense study grew into a full-fledged program, Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell . Students from the Exploring Ballet program have started to join the ranks of the Suzanne Farrell Ballet. The company made its debut in

146-457: A Grammy Award in 1996. The Kennedy Center is the only U.S. institution that presents a free performance 365 days a year, daily at 6pm (12 noon on December 24). The Millennium Stage, created as part of the center's Performing Arts for Everyone initiative in 1997 and underwritten by James A. Johnson and Maxine Isaacs , features a broad spectrum of performing arts, from dance and jazz, to chamber music and folk, comedy, storytelling and theater. In

219-487: A Pulitzer Prize-winner; William Bolcom 's Sixth Symphony, Roger Reynolds 's george WASHINGTON , and Michael Daugherty 's UFO , a concerto for solo percussion and orchestra. In addition to its regular season concerts, the National Symphony Orchestra presents outreach, education, and pops programs, as well as concerts at Wolf Trap each year. The annual American Residencies for the Kennedy Center

292-485: A commissioning program for new ballet and dance works. These works have been created by America's foremost choreographers—Paul Taylor, Lar Lubovitch , and Merce Cunningham—for leading American dance companies including American Ballet Theatre , Ballet West , Houston Ballet , Pacific Northwest Ballet , Pennsylvania Ballet , and the San Francisco Ballet . The Kennedy Center formerly supported and produced

365-406: A committee of five U.S. historians. The Kennedy Center presents festivals celebrating cities, countries, and regions of the world. The festivals are filled with a wide range of performing arts, visual arts, cuisine, and multi-media. In 2008, the center presented an exploration of the culture of Japan entitled Japan! culture + hyperculture . The 2009 Arab festival was an unprecedented exploration of

438-507: A free performance on March 1, 1997. In 1999, the center began web-casting each night's live performance, and continues to archive and maintain each event in a database of over 3,000 performances which may be accessed via the center's website. Performing Arts for Everyone initiatives also include low- and no-cost tickets available to performances on every stage of the Kennedy Center, and several outreach programs designed to increase access to Kennedy Center tickets and performances. An initiative of

511-554: A national cultural center dates to 1933 when First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt discussed ideas for the Emergency Relief and Civil Works Administration to create employment for unemployed actors during the Great Depression . Congress held hearings in 1935 on plans to establish a Cabinet level Department of Science, Art and Literature, and to build a monumental theater and arts building on Capitol Hill near

584-475: A new pipe organ in 2012. The Opera House, in the middle, has approximately 2,347 seats. Its interior features include walls covered in red velvet, a distinctive red and gold silk curtain, given by the Japanese government, and Lobmeyr crystal chandelier with matching pendants, a gift from the government of Austria . It is the major opera, ballet, and large-scale musical venue of the center, and closed during

657-660: A new production of Ragtime in 2009. The Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays has provided critical support in the development of 135 new theatrical works. In 2011, a new production of Follies starring Bernadette Peters opened at the Eisenhower Theater, and transferred to Broadway that fall. Since 1978, the Kennedy Center Honors have been awarded annually by the center 's Board of Trustees . Each year, five artists or groups are honored for their lifetime contributions to American culture and

730-551: A shared evening with the National Ballet of Bulgaria in a program titled "Balanchine and Farrell: American Ballet for Bulgaria" presented by Cultural Bridges Association. This trip marked the Company's second international appearance. In October 2011, The Suzanne Farrell Ballet celebrated 10 years of annual engagements at the Kennedy Center. As a part of the anniversary celebration the Company traveled to New York City for

803-865: A week of performances at The Joyce Theater followed by touring to The Lied Center of Kansas, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota Florida with The Sarasota Ballet, the Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater Florida with The Sarasota Ballet followed by a spring tour that started with a Florida State University Residency with performances at the Seven Days of Opening Nights Festival, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Burlington Vermont, and

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876-682: Is a program unique to the National Symphony Orchestra and the center. The center sends the Orchestra to a different state each year for an intensive period of performances and teaching encompassing full orchestral, chamber, and solo concerts, master classes and other teaching sessions. The Orchestra has given these residencies in 20 states so far: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North and South Carolina, Oklahoma, North and South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, Nevada, and Wyoming/Montana. The NSO recording of John Corigliano 's Of Rage and Remembrance won

949-624: Is convertible to a forestage or additional seating space. The venue reopened in October 2008, following a 16-month renovation which altered the color scheme and seating arrangements. Other performance venues in the center include: The Kennedy Center offers one of the few open-air rooftop terraces in Washington, D.C.; it is free of charge to the public from 10:00 a.m. until midnight each day, except when closed for private events. The wide terrace provides views in all four directions overlooking

1022-877: Is known for its annual production of the ballet " The Nutcracker ". Over the years, it has been performed by various different companies throughout the United States. The Kansas City Ballet performed "The Nutcracker" at the Kennedy Center in November 2022. In recent years the Kennedy Center has expanded its public education programs nationwide. The 2005 opening of the Family Theater has helped achieve this. The 2008–2009 season programming for Performances for Young Audiences reached more than 100 performances for young people and their families and over 110 performances for school audiences. The season included four Kennedy Center-commissioned world premieres: The Trumpet of

1095-466: Is make the arts a critical component in every child's education. CETA, which stands for Changing Education Through the Arts, creates professional development opportunities for teachers and school administrators. Each year over 700 teachers participate in approximately 60 courses that focus on ways to integrate the arts into their teaching. The Kennedy Center's CETA program also partners with sixteen schools in

1168-582: Is part of the center's Arab festival, Arabesque: Arts of the Arab World . Theater for Young Audiences on Tour toured with two nationally touring productions of The Phantom Tollbooth and Blues Journey . On June 8, 2016, it was announced that the Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences-commissioned musical Elephant & Piggie's We are in a Play!, with book and lyrics by Mo Willems and music by Deborah Wicks La Puma, transferred to

1241-612: Is the largest performance space in the Kennedy Center and is the home of the National Symphony Orchestra . A 1997 renovation brought a high-tech acoustical canopy, handicap- accessible locations on every level, and new seating sections (onstage boxes, chorister seats, and parterre seats). The Hadeland crystal chandeliers, given by the Norwegian government, were repositioned to provide a clearer view. Canadian organbuilder Casavant Frères constructed and installed

1314-754: The Art Tatum Piano Panorama, named after Dr. Taylor's mentor; the Louis Armstrong Legacy, highlighting vocalists; the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival, the first festival by a major institution promoting outstanding female jazz artists; Beyond Category, featuring artists whose work transcends genre; the Platinum Series, with internationally acclaimed headliners; Jazz Ambassadors with

1387-903: The Contrapuntal Blues pas de deux from Clarinade . In the summer of 2006 the company performed at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival as well as at the Edinburgh International Festival with the European premiere of Balanchine's Don Quixote . The company returned to the Kennedy Center Opera House in June 2007 with two programs, which included Balanchine 's Scotch Symphony ( Mendelssohn ), Slaughter on Tenth Avenue (Rodgers, orch. Kay), and Mozartiana ( Tchaikovsky ), and Béjart 's Scène d'amour from Romeo and Juliet ( Berlioz ), as well as

1460-595: The Ford Foundation , and approximately $ 500,000 from the Kennedy family . Other major donors included J. Willard Marriott , Marjorie Merriweather Post , John D. Rockefeller III , and Robert W. Woodruff , as well as many corporate donors. Foreign countries provided gifts to the Kennedy Center, including a gift of 3,700 tons of Carrara marble from Italy (worth $ 1.5 million) from the Italian government , which

1533-609: The Kennedy Center 's ballet season in the fall of 2001 with nearly two weeks of performances in the Eisenhower Theater – featuring no less than six company premieres. The company was again seen at the Kennedy Center in the fall of 2002, performing, among other works, company premieres of Balanchine's Chaconne , Raymonda Variations , Who Cares? , and Canadian choreographer Anthony Morgan's A Farewell to Music . Following an extensive Fall 2003 U.S. tour that, for

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1606-829: The Rosslyn skyline in Arlington County, Virginia , to the west; the Potomac River and National Airport to the south; the Washington Harbor and the Watergate complex to the north; and the Lincoln Memorial , Department of State buildings, George Washington University and the Saudi embassy to the east. World premiere performances of Kennedy Center-commissioned works have been offered through

1679-576: The Supreme Court building. A 1938 congressional resolution called for construction of a "public building which shall be known as the National Cultural Center " near Judiciary Square , but nothing materialized. The idea for a national theater resurfaced in 1950, when U.S. Representative Arthur George Klein of New York introduced a bill to authorize funds to plan and build a cultural center. The bill included provisions that

1752-538: The Suzanne Farrell Ballet in performances at the center and on extended tours. The center sponsors two annual dance residency programs for young people; Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell and the Dance Theatre of Harlem Residency Program, both now in their second decade. The Kennedy Center's Contemporary Dance series offers a wide range of artistic perspectives, from the foremost masters of

1825-564: The United States Department of State , sending musicians on worldwide goodwill tours (1998–2004); the KC Jazz Club, a highly praised intimate setting; and Discovery Artists in the KC Jazz Club, highlighting up-and-coming talent. Kennedy Center and NPR annually collaborated on the beloved holiday broadcast 'NPR's Piano Jazz Christmas', until the retirement of host Marian McPartland, and hence the show, in 2011. Since 2003,

1898-420: The 1958 National Cultural Center Act of Congress, which requires that its programming be sustained through private funds, the center represents a public–private partnership . Its activities include educational and outreach initiatives, almost entirely funded through ticket sales and gifts from individuals, corporations, and private foundations. The original building, designed by architect Edward Durell Stone ,

1971-741: The 2003/2004 season for extensive renovations which provided a revised seating arrangement and redesigned entrances at the orchestra level. It is the home of the Washington National Opera and the annual Kennedy Center Honors . The Eisenhower Theater, on the north side, seats about 1,161 and is named for President Dwight D. Eisenhower , who signed the National Cultural Center Act into law on September 2, 1958. It primarily hosts plays and musicals, smaller-scale operas, ballet, and contemporary dance. The theater contains an orchestra pit for up to 35 musicians that

2044-487: The Hall of Nations are both 250-foot-long (76 m), 63-foot-high (19 m) corridors. The building has drawn criticism about its location (far away from Washington Metro stops), and for its scale and form , although it has also drawn praise for its acoustics , and its terrace overlooking the Potomac River. In her book On Architecture , Ada Louise Huxtable called it " gemütlich Speer ". Cyril M. Harris designed

2117-516: The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 1964, following the assassination of President Kennedy . The National Cultural Center Board of Trustees, a group President Eisenhower established on January 29, 1959, led fundraising. Fundraising efforts were not successful, with only $ 13,425 raised in the first three years. President John F. Kennedy was interested in bringing culture to

2190-653: The Kennedy Center Opera House September 10, 1971. The Eisenhower Theater was inaugurated October 18, 1971, with a performance of A Doll's House starring Claire Bloom . Architect Edward Durell Stone designed the Kennedy Center. Overall, the building is 100 feet (30 m) high, 630 feet (190 m) long, and 300 feet (91 m) wide. The Kennedy Center features a 630-foot-long (190 m), 63-foot-high (19 m) grand foyer, with 16 hand-blown Orrefors crystal chandeliers (a gift from Sweden) and red carpeting . The Hall of States and

2263-480: The Kennedy Center appointed Dr. Billy Taylor as Artistic Advisor for Jazz, and his first installation was his own radio show Billy Taylor's Jazz at the Kennedy Center . Featuring his trio and guest artists in performance and discussion, the series ran for seven seasons on NPR . Since Taylor's appointment in 1994, the center has initiated numerous performance programs to promote jazz on a national stage, featuring leading international artists and rising stars, including:

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2336-437: The Kennedy Center's auditoriums and their acoustics. A key consideration is that many aircraft fly along the Potomac River and over the Kennedy Center, as they take off and land at the nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport . Helicopter traffic over the Kennedy Center is also fairly high. To keep out this noise, the Kennedy Center was designed as a box within a box, giving each auditorium an extra outer shell. After

2409-793: The Kennedy Center's founding chairman, the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) is a national theater program involving 18,000 students from colleges and universities nationwide which has served as a catalyst in improving the quality of college theater in the United States. The KCACTF has grown into a network of more than 600 academic institutions throughout the country, where theater departments and student artists showcase their work and receive outside assessment by KCACTF respondents. Since its establishment in 1969, KCACTF has reached more than 17.5 million theatergoing students and teachers nationwide. The Kennedy Center's CETA program's mission

2482-570: The Kennedy Center. Some of these include: The Kennedy Center regularly hosts special Inauguration Day events and galas during the start of each presidential term. During the United States Bicentennial , the Kennedy Center hosted numerous special events throughout 1976, including six commissioned plays. The center hosted free performances by groups from each state. In December 1976, Mikhail Baryshnikov 's version of The Nutcracker ballet played for two weeks. In 1977,

2555-740: The Kennedy Center’s Eisenhower Theater. In February the company traveled to the Royal Opera House in Muscat Oman marking their third international appearance. The company started the 13-14 season with a residency at Florida State University in September followed by performances at the Millennium Stage and the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center in October and November respectively. In October 2014

2628-837: The Lyndon Institute Auditorium in Lyndon Vermont. For the 2012 – 2013 season The Suzanne Farrell Ballet began with an October residency at Florida State University followed by performances at the VelocityDC Dance Festival in Washington DC and at the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. In November they performed at the Career Transitions for Dancers Gala in New York and produced their fall season at

2701-884: The Millennium Stage, the Conservatory Project is a semi-annual event occurring in February and May that is designed to present the best young musical artists in classical, jazz, musical theater, and opera from leading undergraduate and graduate conservatories, colleges and universities. The Kennedy Center hosts residencies for artists to collaborate with the center's performing ensembles, programmers, and community initiatives. The center holds positions for Composer-in-Residence, Education Artist-in-Residence, and Culture Artist-in-Residence. The current artists-in-residence are The Roots , author Jacqueline Woodson , composer Carlos Simon , and pianist Robert Glasper . The center has co-produced more than 300 new works of theater over

2774-788: The Off-Broadway New Victory Theater in January 2017. Members of the National Symphony Orchestra will continue to present Teddy Bear Concerts throughout its seasons. During these concerts, children aged three to five bring their favorite stuffed animal to interactive musical programs featuring members of the NSO. Members of the NSO present NSO Ensemble Concerts, connecting music with various school subjects such as science and math, Kinderkonzerts, introducing kids to orchestral instruments and classical composers, as well as NSO Family Concerts. Started in 1969 by Roger L. Stevens,

2847-617: The Opera House hosted George Bernard Shaw 's Caesar and Cleopatra with Rex Harrison and Elizabeth Ashley . The American Ballet Theatre has also frequently performed at the Kennedy Center. The troupe's 2004 production of Swan Lake , choreographed by Kevin McKenzie , was taped there, shown on PBS in June 2005, and released on DVD shortly after. Productions of The Lion King and Trevor Nunn 's production of My Fair Lady (choreographed by Matthew Bourne ) were presented in

2920-748: The Performing Arts (officially known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts , and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center ) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. It was named in 1964 as a memorial to assassinated President John F. Kennedy . Opened on September 8, 1971, the center hosts many different genres of performance art, such as theater, dance, orchestras, jazz , pop, psychedelic , and folk music . Authorized by

2993-661: The Swan , a musical adapted by Pulitzer Prize winner Marsha Norman from the book by E.B. White with music by Jason Robert Brown ; Mermaids, Monsters, and the World Painted Purple , a new play by Marco Ramirez; Unleashed! The Secret Lives of White House Pets , a new play by Allyson Currin in collaboration with the White House Historical Association; and OMAN...O man! , a new dance production conceived and directed by Debbie Allen and

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3066-731: The University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and Purchase College in New York. In February the company traveled to the Lied Center for Performing Arts in Lincoln Nebraska before heading to ZiL Cultural Center in Moscow Russia in an Artistic Partnership with Theatre Ballet Moscow marking the company’s fourth international appearance. In September 2016, the Kennedy Center announced that the company would be disbanding at

3139-726: The Washington DC Metro area to develop long-range plan for arts integration at their school. Two of these schools, Kensington Parkwood Elementary School in Kensington, MD and Woodburn Elementary School for the Fine and Communicative Arts in Falls Church, Virginia serve as Research and Development schools for CETA. Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell is a three-week summer ballet intensive for international pre-professional ballerinas ages 14–18. Suzanne Farrell , one of

3212-655: The Washington, D.C. premieres of two newly re-staged works which had not been seen in forty years: Balanchine's Divertimento Brillante ( Glinka ) and the Adagio from Concierto de Mozart (Balanchine). Committed to carrying forth the legacy of George Balanchine through performances of his classic ballets, the company announced the formal creation of the Balanchine Preservation Initiative in February 2007. This initiative served to introduce rarely seen or "lost" Balanchine works to audiences around

3285-407: The artist four years to sculpt the two reliefs in plaster, creating 200 castings, and another two years for the foundry in Berlin to cast the pieces. In 1994, the Smithsonian Institution 's Save Outdoor Sculpture! program surveyed War or Peace and America and described them as being well maintained. Another sculpture Don Quixote by Aurelio Teno occupies a site near the northeast corner of

3358-489: The building. King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia of Spain gave the sculpture to the United States for its Bicentennial , June 3, 1976. The Kennedy Center has three main theaters: the Concert Hall, the Opera House, and the Eisenhower Theater. The Concert Hall, located at the south end of the center, seats 2,465 including chorister seats and stage boxes, and has a seating arrangement similar to that used in many European halls such as Musikverein in Vienna. The Concert Hall

3431-465: The center hosted a once-in-a-lifetime celebration, Jazz in Our Time, which bestowed the center's Living Jazz Legend Award to over 30 revered artists. During Dr. Taylor's tenure, the center has created recognized educational initiatives, including national jazz satellite distance-learning programs; adult lecture series; master classes and workshops with national artists and local metropolitan Washington, D.C. students; and Betty Carter 's Jazz Ahead—continuing

3504-448: The center would prohibit any discrimination of cast or audience. In 1955, the Stanford Research Institute was commissioned to select a site and provide design suggestions for the center. From 1955 to 1958, Congress debated the idea amid much controversy. A bill was finally passed in Congress in the summer of 1958 and on September 4, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law the National Cultural Center Act which provided momentum for

3577-526: The center's jazz programs have been regularly broadcast on NPR's JazzSet with Dee Dee Bridgewater . Recent highlights, produced by the center, have included Great Vibes, A Salute to Lionel Hampton (1995); Billy Taylor's 80th Birthday Celebration (2002); Nancy Wilson , A Career Celebration (2003); Michel Legrand with Patti Austin , part of the center's Festival of France (2004); A Tribute to Shirley Horn (2004); James Moody 's 80th Birthday (2005); and Benny Golson at 80 (2009). In March 2007,

3650-404: The company began the season at Florida State University continuing their residency program before heading to Washington DC for their annual fall season at the Kennedy Center. This time on the Opera House Stage the company performed three Balanchine works (1951 version of Swan Lake, Allegro Brillante, Monumentum & Movements) and Robbins's The Concert (Or, The Perils of Everybody) before heading to

3723-413: The company collaborated with the National Ballet of Canada to present the first staging of Balanchine's Don Quixote in more than 25 years. The evening-length ballet was created by George Balanchine specifically for Suzanne Farrell. The Suzanne Farrell Ballet kicked off the 2005–2006 ballet season at the Kennedy Center with an all Balanchine program featuring Duo Concertant , La Source , La Valse and

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3796-415: The company selected Ballet Austin as an artistic partner and presented Episodes. In 2011, the company partnered with The Sarasota Ballet to present Diamonds in Washington, DC (Oct 2011)], Sarasota, FL (Nov 2011), and Clearwater, FL (Nov 2011). The mission of this initiative was to support ballet companies throughout the United States. In June 2010, the Company traveled to Sofia, Bulgaria, to perform Agon in

3869-416: The culture of the 22 Arab countries in the League of Arab States, titled Arabesque: Arts of the Arab World . In 2011, the Kennedy Center presented maximum INDIA , a three-week-long celebration of the arts and culture of the sub-continent. Since its establishment in September 1971, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts has showcased jazz in solo, various ensembles, and big band settings. In 1994,

3942-458: The culture of the nation's capital. Opened in September 2022, Art and Ideals : President John F. Kennedy , is a permanent exhibit dedicated to President John F. Kennedy's relationship with art. The exhibit has four sections, each explaining the role art played in culture, democracy, social change, and the White House during Kennedy's presidency. The exhibit was designed by architectural firm KieranTimberlake , curator Ileen Gallahger, and

4015-1594: The end of its 2017 performance season, citing "possibilities of new expansion" and indicating that Farrell would likely return to "full-time teaching." While there was no mention of forming a new company or what exactly Farrell's new position at the Center would entail, Kennedy Center President Deborah Rutter noted that the Center would be undergoing a new expansion project to be completed in spring 2018, which would include new performance and rehearsal space. All choreography by George Balanchine Ballade (1980) Company Premiere: November 23, 2007. Music by Gabriel Faure Adagio from Concierto de Mozart (1942) Company Premiere: June 6, 2007. Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Contrapuntal Blues pas de deux from Clarinade (1964) Company Premiere: November 22, 2005. Music by Morton Gould Danses Concertantes (1972) Company Premiere: November 7, 2012 Music by Igor Stravinsky Divertimento Brillante (1967) (from Balanchine’s Glinkiana) Company Premiere: June 8, 2007. Music by Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka Balanchine's Don Quixote (1965) Company Premiere: June 22, 2005 (Pas de Deux Mauresque premiered December 5, 2003). Music by Nicolas Nabokov Haieff Divertimento (1947) Company Premiere: March 3, 2010. Music by Alexei Haieff Pithoprakta (1968) Company Premiere: November 23, 2007. Music by Iannis Xenakis Ragtime (1966) Company Premiere: October 8, 2008. Music by Igor Stravinsky Variations for Orchestra (1982) Company Premiere: February 16, 2001. Music by Igor Stravinsky Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for

4088-482: The fall of 1999 during the Kennedy Center's Balanchine Celebration , performing Divertimento No. 15 . Later, in the fall of 1999, Ms. Farrell received critical acclaim for the successful Kennedy Center engagement and East Coast tour of Suzanne Farrell Stages the Masters of 20th Century Ballet . Following the Kennedy Center's debut, the newly named Suzanne Farrell Ballet , a group of professional dancers hand selected by Ms. Farrell,. The Suzanne Farrell Ballet opened

4161-420: The first Executive Director of the National Cultural Center, overseeing numerous fundraising efforts and assisting with the architectural plan. The total cost of construction was $ 70 million. Congress allocated $ 43 million for construction costs, including $ 23 million as an outright grant and the other $ 20 million in bonds . Donations also comprised a significant portion of funding, including $ 5 million from

4234-425: The first time, took them to the West Coast , the company opened the Kennedy Center's 2003–2004 ballet season with a full week of performances in the Eisenhower Theater. The week included performances of Mozartiana , Serenade , Tchaikovsky 's Pas de Deux and Tempo di Vals from George Balanchine's The Nutcracker , as part of the 2003 Kennedy Center Tchaikovsky Festival, plus The Balanchine Couple . In June 2005

4307-399: The genre to the art form's newest and most exciting artists. In the 2008/2009 series, the Kennedy Center recognized Modern Masters of American Dance, bringing Martha Graham Dance Company , Merce Cunningham Dance Company , Limón Dance Company , Mark Morris Dance Group , Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater , Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company and Paul Taylor Dance Company . The Center

4380-419: The most revered ballerinas of the 20th century, has been hosting this Balanchine -inspired intensive at the Kennedy Center since 1993. During their three weeks in Washington, D.C., Farrell's students practice technique and choreography during twice daily classes, six days per week. Outside of the classroom, excursions, activities and performance events are planned for EBSF students to fully immerse themselves in

4453-409: The nation's capital, and provided leadership and support for the project. In 1961, President Kennedy asked Roger L. Stevens to help develop the National Cultural Center, and serve as chairman of the Board of Trustees. Stevens recruited First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy as honorary chairman of the center, and former First Lady Mamie Eisenhower as co-chairman. In January 1961, Jarold A. Kieffer became

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4526-403: The original estimates of $ 25–30 million. By November 1959, estimated costs had escalated to $ 61 million. Despite this, Stone's design was well received in editorials in The Washington Post , Washington Star , and quickly approved by the United States Commission of Fine Arts , National Capital Planning Commission , and the National Park Service . The National Cultural Center was renamed

4599-410: The original structure was marked for expansion, a competition in 2013 selected Steven Holl Architects to undertake the design. The extension, called The REACH, opened in 2019. The plaza entrance of the Kennedy Center features two tableaus by German sculptor Jürgen Weber ; created between 1965 and 1971, which were a gift to the Kennedy Center from the West German government. Near the north end of

4672-648: The past 43 years, including Tony-winning shows ranging from Annie in 1977 to A Few Good Men , How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying , The King and I , Titanic , and the American premiere of Les Misérables . The center also produced the Sondheim Celebration (six Stephen Sondheim musicals) in 2002, Tennessee Williams Explored (three of Tennessee Williams ' classic plays) in 2004, Mame starring Christine Baranski in 2006, Carnival! in 2007, August Wilson 's Pittsburgh Cycle (Wilson's complete ten-play cycle performed as fully staged readings) and Broadway: Three Generations both in 2008, and

4745-422: The past twelve years, over three million people have attended Millennium Stage performances. The Millennium Stage has presented more than 42,000 artists, which includes over 4,000 international artists from more than 70 countries; performers representing all 50 states; and 20,000 Washington-area ensembles and solo artists. The Charlie Byrd Trio and the Billy Taylor Trio were the first artists to delight audiences with

4818-406: The performing arts, including dance, music, theater, opera, film, and television. The Kennedy Center has awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor annually since 1998. Named after the 19th-century humorist Mark Twain , it is presented to individuals who have "had an impact on American society in ways similar to" Twain. Many local arts organizations present (or have presented) their work at

4891-538: The plaza is a display of nude figures in scenes representing war and peace , called War or Peace . The piece, 8 ft × 50 ft × 1.5 ft (2.44 m × 15.24 m × 0.46 m), depicts five scenes showing the symbolism of war and peace: a war scene, murder, family, and creativity. At the south end is America which represents Weber's image of America (8 × 50 × 1.5 ft.). Four scenes are depicted representing threats to liberty, technology, foreign aid and survival, and free speech. It took

4964-475: The project. This was the first time that the federal government helped finance a structure dedicated to the performing arts. The legislation required a portion of the costs, estimated at $ 10–25 million, to be raised within five years of the bill's passage. Edward Durell Stone was selected as architect for the project in June 1959. He presented preliminary designs to the President's Music Committee in October 1959, along with estimated costs of $ 50 million, double

5037-405: The singer's legacy of identifying outstanding young talent. In 2015, Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett performed there as part of their Cheek to Cheek Tour . The National Symphony Orchestra , the Kennedy Center's artistic affiliate since 1987, has commissioned dozens of new works, among them Stephen Albert 's RiverRun , which won the Pulitzer Prize for Music; Morton Gould 's Stringmusic , also

5110-459: The world. Many of these works had not been performed in nearly forty years. The Initiative was produced with the knowledge and cooperation of The George Balanchine Trust. The company's repertoire included ten Balanchine Preservation Initiative Ballets. In November 2007, the company launched an Artistic Partnership outreach program. Farrell brought together her company and Cincinnati Ballet, a company from her hometown, to present Chaconne. In 2008,

5183-484: Was September 5, 1971, with 2,200 members of the general public in attendance to see a premiere of Leonard Bernstein 's Mass in the Opera House, while the center's official opening took place September 8, 1971, with a formal gala and premiere performance of the Bernstein Mass . The Concert Hall was inaugurated September 9, 1971, with a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Antal Doráti . Alberto Ginastera 's opera, Beatrix Cenci premiered at

5256-660: Was constructed by Philadelphia contractor John McShain , and is administered as a bureau of the Smithsonian Institution . An earlier design proposal called for a more curvy, spaceship-inspired building similar to how the Watergate complex appears today. An extension to the Durell Stone Building was designed by Steven Holl and opened in 2019. The center receives annual federal funding to pay for building maintenance and operation. The idea for

5329-585: Was used in the building's construction. President Lyndon B. Johnson dug the ceremonial first-shovel of earth at the groundbreaking for the Kennedy Center December 2, 1964. However, debate continued for another year over the Foggy Bottom site, with some advocating for another location on Pennsylvania Avenue . Excavation of the site got underway on December 11, 1965, and the site was cleared by January 1967. The first performance

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