Denver Ballet Guild

Background Statement

Please help support DBG programs, they make a meaningful impact in the Denver community:

Showcase of Dance: Annually, the DBG introduces over 4,000 low-income school children to the world of dance. These children experience performances by Denver professional companies, such as the Colorado Ballet and Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Mudra, and BBoys (break dancing) at no cost to them or their schools. Showcase is budgeted at $30,000 annually.

Young Dancers Competition: One of the oldest dance competitions in the nation, this DBG event gives Colorado's amateur dancers the chance to work with a nationally renowned ballet master and compete for financial awards totaling $25,000 each year. Our scholarship awards help aspiring dancers further their careers.

Community Enrichment Grants: For many years we provided $85,000 in grants annually to local dance companies. The total awarded over the years is well over $1,000,000. This year we are excited to increase our grants to $100,000. Our grants specifically foster artistic development and innovation. Past recipients include Wonderbound, Zikr Dance Ensemble, Boulder Ballet, Kim Robards Dance, Colorado Ballet, 3rd Law Dance, and Cleo Parker Robinson Dance.

Youth Dance Arts Appreciation Programs: DBG sponsors two youth programs—Les Cygnettes & Les Messieurs (middle school girls and boys) and Les Demoiselles & Les Messieurs (high school girls and boys)—from more than 25 metro Denver schools. These students attend dance performances and special theater events to deepen their appreciation for the arts.

Le Bal de Ballet: A cherished Denver tradition for over 56 years, Le Bal de Ballet is DBG's signature fundraising event that supports all our programs.

About the Denver Ballet Guild:

Since its founding in 1979, the Denver Ballet Guild has been a cultural force in the community, dedicated to supporting dance as “Art in Motion.” Our mission is to stimulate interest in ballet and other forms of dance, promote dance at all levels, provide dance education, cultivate audiences, and fundraise to support these efforts.

The Guild evolved from the Denver Civic Ballet Association, which began in 1958 to bring exceptional ballet to the Denver area. In 1969, the Denver Ballet Academy and Denver Civic Ballet were integrated into the Association, with Nutcracker performances becoming a beloved Christmas tradition. That same year, the Guild started Les Cygnettes, a program designed to inspire appreciation for ballet among middle school girls. By 1974, the Guild was actively bringing dance into Denver public schools through performances.

To fund these efforts, the Guild launched Le Bal de Ballet in 1969. This event, which introduced young women to Denver society, has grown into our signature fundraising event. In 1979, the Guild reorganized and continued these traditions under the name "Denver Ballet Guild." In 1988, we expanded the Le Bal de Ballet program to include young men, creating the Young Men of Distinction program.

The Guild established an Endowment Trust in 1992 to provide long-term financial support to our supported dance companies.

Thanks to the dedication of our 600 members, the Denver Ballet Guild continues to provide dance scholarships, dance programing, dance company underwriting, and invaluable theater experiences for children and young people in our community.

Your support ensures that these programs can continue to enrich the cultural fabric of Denver and support the next generation of dancers.

Testimonials:

"At Greenlee, we encourage students and staff to embrace our 3 Pillars: Healthy, Enlightened, and Expressive. Our participation in Showcase of Dance is so special because it enlightens our students and staff by exposing us to different forms of art. We also get to discuss how dance is a form of expression, another one of our student pillars. The Showcase of Dance really nicely aligns to our goals of developing the whole student and honoring the many talents and interests that our students have." Meg Kirby, Greenlee Elementary school teacher.

"I am so excited and overwhelmed by the honor of first place in category four; the Florence Ruston Award and the President's Award. I do not take this recognition lightly. I am so grateful for your encouragement and support as I pursue my dance career." Hailee Mae Wilson YDC award recipient 2017

"The Young Dancers Competition was incredible!! It was a totally different perspective from the dancer's side. This event is HUGE in the dance world. It is the premier competition in Denver. The prize money is what allows many of the dancers to continue classes and participate in summer intensive programs. Dance is expensive between classes, replacing pointe shoes every couple of months, tutu, costumes, etc."

"Bridget was accepted into the Pre-Professional Dance program at Belliston Ballet. She will have 17.5 hours of dance classes each week plus rehearsals. Dancers at her studio have won many of the top Guild prizes. Even parents of past winners come back to watch the competition. I left the competition feeling so proud to be a part of the Ballet Guild."

One of the audience members of our Showcase of Dance for kids was heard, referring to the ushers at the Newman Center at DU, “This place is so fancy, they even have waiters!”