Zack Shafran Believes in Ballet - KC Ballet Logo Full tickets calendar ballet-shoes quotations play chevron-down chevron-left chevron-right chevron-up facebook checkbox checkbox-checked radio radio-selected instagram google plus pinterest twitter linkedin youtube search arrow-right slider-arrow-left slider-arrow-right playbutton phone location-pin fax email spinner shopping-cart
zack-shafran-believes-in-ballet
All Blog Posts

Zack Shafran Believes in Ballet

His mother introduced Bolender Society Member, Zack Shafran, to ballet and the arts as a child. His mother was an aspiring dancer growing up. A dream she had to give up in her teens due to a back injury. Her ballet slippers, preserved in a special display case, still hold a place of honor in his parents’ home.

“I know how much she loved to dance, and how much she wanted us to appreciate dancing,” Zack recalls. “She talked about it a lot. She loved dancing. She loved music. My mom really wanted me to enjoy it, too.”

Enjoying the ballet is something Zack continues to do, and he has passed this passion on to his own children. About 10 years ago, Zack and a friend decided to get season tickets to the Ballet to take their daughters—a tradition that has continued for him and his daughter, Camille.

“At 21, she’s still excited to go to the ballet with me. We discuss different types of performances. Her absolute favorite was Dracula. She recently brought some friends with her. Neither had ever been to the ballet,” Zack shares.

Another passion for Zack is introducing people to the art form. “It’s incredibly important for the future of our community to get exposure to the arts. And to have the Symphony and Ballet playing in a place like the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is truly wonderful,” Zack says.

His passion to make the arts accessible included led Zack to make a gift to establish an endowment fund for audience development. He created the Tannye Shafran Fund in honor of his mother.

WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT? 

To make a gift that is meaningful to you and makes a lasting impact for Kansas City Ballet, please contact Director of Gift Planning Rebecca Zandarski at 816.216.5597 or rzandarski@kcballet.org.

 

Top Photo: Zack Shafran with his daughter attending a 2022 performance of Michael Pink’s Dracula at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

Stay in the Loop

Sign up for blog updates with exclusive behind-the-scenes content.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *