Introducing Kelly Adrian, Kansas City Ballet’s new Director of Individual Giving, whose career spans arts advancement, digital innovation, and strategic leadership. Kelly’s connection to Kansas City Ballet began on stage in 2012 as a supernumerary in Romeo & Juliet, and his professional path has since included pioneering digital roles and consulting for leading arts organizations around the world. In this Q&A, meet Kelly and learn how his experience and passion for the arts will help deepen relationships and advance our mission.
How did your passion for the arts lead you into philanthropy?
It has been an interesting path, for sure. I’ve been a performer, writer, director, producer, marketer, and fundraiser in a variety of roles and contexts throughout my life, but no matter what I’ve been doing: people and storytelling have been central.
While performing at Disney World, I became interested in the “how” behind the magic. I loved being onstage, but I wanted to understand what it took to create those opportunities in the first place. I earned my degree in Entertainment Business, moved to Kansas City, and started building from there.
While I spent roughly eight years away from the arts, that time was invaluable, shaping how I think about leadership, stewardship, and strategy. I’m thrilled to now be “coming home” to Kansas City’s arts community, bringing these experiences with me to support the incredible work happening at Kansas City Ballet.
How will you use your experience with data in this role?
“Data” is a storytelling and planning tool. Our personal experience or perspective can inform our decision making, yet it’s often anecdotal, biased or inaccurate. Data grounds us in reality, even when it’s uncomfortable. On its own, data has little value; its power comes from identifying patterns and applying it in service of our people and purpose.
When you support KC Ballet, it is our responsibility to steward that gift with care and intention. I use data to tell the story of our impact, identify opportunities, and inform strategic decision making. This all serves to better steward the generosity of our supporters to maximize the impact of their gifts.
You once shared the stage with Kansas City Ballet. Tell us about that.
While enrolled in classes at the Bolender Center in 2012, I was asked to be a supernumerary by James Jordan, the Ballet Master for Romeo & Juliet. Initially incredibly intimidating, the dancers and staff made this “Guard #2” feel right at home.
The biggest takeaway from that experience was the breaking of my ill-informed notion that a person is either an athlete or an artist. Our dancers are both. Not only are they innately talented, they are also skilled. Leveraging their intuition for movement is only part of their job; the day-to-day physical discipline is impressive and inspiring.
After that experience, I understood ballet more deeply, and like anything, understanding drives appreciation. I’ve been a fan ever since, and now I’m honored to be part of the work to ensure that all of Kansas City has the same opportunity to understand and appreciate this beautiful art form celebrating the creativity of the mind and strength of the body.
To get in touch with Kelly, call him at 816.216.5582 or email him at kadrian@kcballet.org.
Header image: Kansas City Ballet Director of Individual Giving Kelly Adrian. Photo by Beeh Moynagh.
