KC Ballet appoints Kimberly Cowen to principal of ballet school

Jeffrey J. Bentley , executive director of the Kansas City Ballet, today announced the appointment of retiring company dancer Kimberly Cowen as the new Principal and Associate Director of the Kansas City Ballet School. Ms. Cowen, an extraordinary artist who has just recently chosen to retire from the stage following an unparalleled 20 year association with Kansas City Ballet, will also assume the directorship of Kansas City Youth Ballet, the school's performing ensemble. Ms. Cowen will retire at the conclusion of the 2011-2012 season with her final performances in the Kansas City Ballet Spring Program, Masters of the American Dance, at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts May 4-13, 2012.

Working in partnership with School Director Emily Simpson, Ms. Cowen will begin her new role with the Kansas City Ballet organization July 1, 2012 and will have an active role in the national summer intensive training program. In addition to a full teaching load in the upper school division, as Director of the Kansas City Youth Ballet, Ms. Cowen will be responsible for training, supervision of coaching, selection of repertory, casting and the overall artistic demands of this youth ensemble.

"Kim Cowen brings to her new role a unique collection of gifts, not the least of which is her twenty years as a celebrated ballerina with Kansas City Ballet, and a keen eye and understanding of the challenges to young dancers as they seek to achieve their goals," said Mr. Bentley. "Everyone here at Kansas City Ballet is thrilled to have Kim transition to a new role within the company that she has called home for over two decades."

Mr. Bentley also announced the appointment of retiring company dancer Marcus Oatis to the position of Manager for the Kansas City Ballet School for the Johnson County campus. Mr. Oatis will assume full time responsibilities at the Johnson County campus in May, upon the conclusion of the 2011-12 Kansas City Ballet performance season.

Kimberly Cowen is a native of St. Louis, Missouri, and received most of her ballet training from Nathalie LeVine. She has also studied at St. Louis Ballet under Ludmila Dokoudovsky and Antoni Zalewski, at Pacific Northwest Ballet with Fleming Halby and Nina Danilova and at The Joffrey Ballet with Francesca Corkle and Winthrop Corey. She studied at the Kansas City Ballet School with Una Kai and Lisa Dillinger before joining the company in 1991.

Cowen has danced as Swanilda in Coppélia, Odette in Swan Lake, Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, the title role in Giselle, Carmen, Firebird and Romeo & Juliet. She has danced in 100 different ballets by famous choreographers such as George Balanchine (20 ballets), Jerome Robbins, Anthony Tudor, Todd Bolender (16 ballets), David Parsons, Paul Taylor, Merce Cunningham, Twyla Tharp, Vincente Nebrada, Nacho Duato, Margo Sappington, Trey McIntyre, Jessica Lang, Val Caniparoli, Mary Wigman and William Whitener (twelve ballets). Cowen began teaching at the Somerset Ballet in 1998 and joined the Kansas City Ballet School staff in 2002.