Ames Center, 2019, 10th anniversary photos by the Historical Society
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019March 20, 2019 the Ames Center celebrates its 10th anniversary.
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Ames 10th anniversary 2019This press release appeared in the Burnsville Eagan Sun/Thisweek News March 17, 2019:
Ames Center marks 10 years
Ames Center’s 10th Anniversary Celebration: A Night to Celebrate The Arts, Entertainment, and Culture on March 20 will feature ABBARAMA, an ABBA tribute band, at 8 p.m., which will be preceeded by hors d’oeuvres, cash bar, and pop-up performances by Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota and the Dakota Valley Symphony starting at 6 p.m.
“This event is an opportunity for the community to celebrate the Ames Center and Burnsville’s ongoing commitment to arts and culture,” said Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz. “The growth of this venue and the entire Heart of the City area over the past 10 years has been nothing less than extraordinary. The Ames Center is truly a gem, and I am so excited to celebrate its journey thus far, and look forward to its bright future.”
ABBARAMA is a group of young musicians from Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States celebrating the music and style of ABBA. The show is performed with a modern electronic sound produced by Grammy Award winning Greg Collins (U2, No Doubt) along with art and video projections by pop artist KII Arens (Lady Gaga, Katy Perry) creating the ultimate ABBARAMA experience.
ABBARAMA will perform in the Masquerade Dance Theater.
Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 the week of the show (beginning Sunday, March 17).
All proceeds from the celebration will be directed to the Ames Center programming fund.
The event is sponsored by Ames Construction Inc., Firefly Credit Union and VenuWorks.
Those who are unable to attend the celebration but would like to donate call 952-895-4680.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019Ames 10th Anniversary program- March 20, 2019.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019Ames Center candle centerpieces featured photos of musicians who performed at the Center during its first ten years.
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After years of deficits, Burnsville's Ames Center is in the black and ready to party 2019March 19 (online) March 20, St. Paul Pioneer Press reports on the 10th anniversary of the Ames Center.
After 10 years of planning, eight years of operating in the red, divisive council meetings, a recession and neighborhood opposition, the Ames Center, formerly the Burnsville Performing Arts Center, is operating in the black and feeling good about the future.
“We knew it would happen,” Burnsville Mayor Elizabeth Kautz said. “We just had to show them. We had to stay true to the vision and the mission and the strategic plan and if you work at it, you’ll get there.”
The center will celebrate its 10-year anniversary Wednesday at 6 p.m. with hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar, and performances by Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota and the Dakota Valley Symphony. At 8 p.m., ABBARAMA, an ABBA tribute band, will play.
“The Ames Center is truly a gem,” Kautz said. “I am so excited to celebrate its journey thus far and look forward to its bright future.”
IT’S BEEN A LONG ROAD
Kautz has been mayor for 25 years and has supported the center since Burnsville began making plans in the 1990s to revitalize its downtown.
The mixed-use development, dubbed “The Heart of the City,” would include a park, retail, housing and the $20 million performing arts center with an auditorium that seats about 1,000 people.
The project was controversial, with some opposing the expense, and when the center opened in 2009, right in the middle of a recession, things got worse. It lost more than $800,000 in its first year of operation.
The city had to foot the bill and approve over $200,000 more to build an orchestra shell and buy audio-visual equipment. Once that was approved, three city council members said they would not support putting any more money into the center.
Before the year was up, the director of VenuWorks, the management company running the center, resigned.
In 2010, the center lost $696,000 and in 2011, the chairman of the advisory commission quit and recommended firing VenuWorks. A second director resigned.
In 2011, the center had been primarily a rental facility. Performers and companies were often hesitant to book because if the show did not sell out, they would eat all of the loss. The city voted to set up an “angel fund” in which it would match up to $50,000 of donated funds that would help shoulder that risk. It also hired Brian Luther as the new and current director, who said he knew exactly what he was getting into when he applied for the job.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
“I love a challenge,” Luther said. “I did a lot of research. There were perception issues, but I didn’t buy into that. I felt that we’ve got one of the best assets in the Twin Cities metro area. I saw this as a fun challenge.”
Luther set to work trying to find or improve alternate revenue streams that would take some of the burden off the taxpayers. One of those was through naming rights.
In 2013, in exchange for $100,000 a year from Ames Construction Inc. of Burnsville, the city renamed the building the Ames Center. It went on to sell naming rights to its main theater to Louisiana-based Masquerade Dance Co., which pays $50,000 per year.
FINALLY, A PROFIT
In 2017, the center turned its first, if modest, profit, making $3,600.
“I spent a lot of time going through those numbers looking really close to see what I could find was wrong,” Luther said, laughing. “I said, ‘This cannot be right!’ ”
He spent that Friday in January calling council members and stakeholders to let them know personally what they had done.
“It was such an achievement and they needed to really understand it was their hard work and the risk that was taken to make this happen,” he said. “I got emotional, I really did. This is a big deal.”
For Kautz, it was the realization of a dream. “I was elated,” she said.
Luther went from ecstasy to worrying about the next year’s bottom line and if 2017 had just been a fluke. The books have not yet been closed on 2018, but he said he is certain it was another profitable year.
In 2018, the center hosted 830 events. It has eight full-time staff members and 100 part-time staff. Its effect as an economic engine can be seen in the development around it, including a new residential building currently under construction.
FUTURE PLANS
Luther recently reworked the food service in the building, finding a new revenue stream there, and has some capital improvements he’d like to see done.
He has also found interest in the corporate world, renting out the auditorium to companies such as Comcast and Shutterfly.
“I haven’t seen an end in sight yet,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we’ll continue to grow at that pace, because as we continue to grow, expenses continue to rise. It’s very exciting. We’re definitely looking at where do we grow now.”
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019Shawn Dahl, Ames Construction Vice President speaks at the 10th Anniversary of the Ames Center March 20, 2019.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019The Dakota Valley Symphony and Chorus performs at the 10th Anniversary of the Ames Center March 20, 2019.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019Event: Ames Center's 10th Anniversary Celebration: A Night to Celebrate The Arts, Entertainment, and Culture feat. ABBARAMA
Date: March 20, 2019
6pm-8pm: Hors d'oeuvres, cash bar, and pop-up performances by Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota and the Dakota Valley Symphony
8pm: Remarks and ABBARAMA performance in the Masquerade Dance Theater.
ABBARAMA is a group of young musicians from Sweden, UK and USA celebrating the music and style of ABBA. The show is performed with a modern electronic sound produced by Grammy Award winning Greg Collins (U2, No Doubt) along with art and video projections by pop artist KII Arens (Lady Gaga, Katy Perry) creating the ultimate ABBARAMA EXPERIENCE!
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019Brian Luther, Ames Center Executive Director at its 10th Anniversary event March 20, 2019.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019March 20, 2019 the Ames Center celebrates its 10th Anniversary, with a thank you to sponsors.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019Event: Ames Center's 10th Anniversary Celebration: A Night to Celebrate The Arts, Entertainment, and Culture feat. ABBARAMA
Date: March 20, 2019
6pm-8pm: Hors d'oeuvres, cash bar, and pop-up performances by Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota and the Dakota Valley Symphony
8pm: Remarks and ABBARAMA performance in the Masquerade Dance Theater.
ABBARAMA is a group of young musicians from Sweden, UK and USA celebrating the music and style of ABBA. The show is performed with a modern electronic sound produced by Grammy Award winning Greg Collins (U2, No Doubt) along with art and video projections by pop artist KII Arens (Lady Gaga, Katy Perry) creating the ultimate ABBARAMA EXPERIENCE!
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019Ames 10th Anniversary photo stop, March 20, 2019.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019The Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota performed at the 10th Anniversary of the Ames Center March 20, 2019.
From their website: TCB is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit dance company that creates, produces, and performs original professional full-length story ballets, a rare and nearly lost art. TCB is the resident dance company of the 1000-seat professional theater, Ames Center (Formerly Burnsville Performing Arts Center).
TCB introduces and promotes the artistry, discipline and athleticism of ballet and other dance forms to Minnesota communities, through performances, educational and interactive programs, Scholarship Awards, and collaborative artistic events. Governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and driven by the energy and efforts of dedicated parents, students, volunteers and community sponsors, TCB continues to develop a variety of community outreach initiatives, including working with other arts organizations and schools, and to offer both its participants and audiences the opportunity to experience the enriching world of dance.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019The Dakota Valley Symphony and Chorus performs at the 10th Anniversary of the Ames Center March 20, 2019.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019Backdrop for photos at the 10th Anniversary of the Ames Center.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019The Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota performed at the 10th Anniversary of the Ames Center March 20, 2019.
From their website: TCB is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit dance company that creates, produces, and performs original professional full-length story ballets, a rare and nearly lost art. TCB is the resident dance company of the 1000-seat professional theater, Ames Center (Formerly Burnsville Performing Arts Center).
TCB introduces and promotes the artistry, discipline and athleticism of ballet and other dance forms to Minnesota communities, through performances, educational and interactive programs, Scholarship Awards, and collaborative artistic events. Governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and driven by the energy and efforts of dedicated parents, students, volunteers and community sponsors, TCB continues to develop a variety of community outreach initiatives, including working with other arts organizations and schools, and to offer both its participants and audiences the opportunity to experience the enriching world of dance.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019The Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota performed at the 10th Anniversary of the Ames Center March 20, 2019.
From their website: TCB is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit dance company that creates, produces, and performs original professional full-length story ballets, a rare and nearly lost art. TCB is the resident dance company of the 1000-seat professional theater, Ames Center (Formerly Burnsville Performing Arts Center).
TCB introduces and promotes the artistry, discipline and athleticism of ballet and other dance forms to Minnesota communities, through performances, educational and interactive programs, Scholarship Awards, and collaborative artistic events. Governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and driven by the energy and efforts of dedicated parents, students, volunteers and community sponsors, TCB continues to develop a variety of community outreach initiatives, including working with other arts organizations and schools, and to offer both its participants and audiences the opportunity to experience the enriching world of dance.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019The Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota performed at the 10th Anniversary of the Ames Center March 20, 2019.
From their website: TCB is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit dance company that creates, produces, and performs original professional full-length story ballets, a rare and nearly lost art. TCB is the resident dance company of the 1000-seat professional theater, Ames Center (Formerly Burnsville Performing Arts Center).
TCB introduces and promotes the artistry, discipline and athleticism of ballet and other dance forms to Minnesota communities, through performances, educational and interactive programs, Scholarship Awards, and collaborative artistic events. Governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and driven by the energy and efforts of dedicated parents, students, volunteers and community sponsors, TCB continues to develop a variety of community outreach initiatives, including working with other arts organizations and schools, and to offer both its participants and audiences the opportunity to experience the enriching world of dance.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019The Twin Cities Ballet of Minnesota performed at the 10th Anniversary of the Ames Center March 20, 2019.
From their website: TCB is an independent, 501(c)(3) non-profit dance company that creates, produces, and performs original professional full-length story ballets, a rare and nearly lost art. TCB is the resident dance company of the 1000-seat professional theater, Ames Center (Formerly Burnsville Performing Arts Center).
TCB introduces and promotes the artistry, discipline and athleticism of ballet and other dance forms to Minnesota communities, through performances, educational and interactive programs, Scholarship Awards, and collaborative artistic events. Governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and driven by the energy and efforts of dedicated parents, students, volunteers and community sponsors, TCB continues to develop a variety of community outreach initiatives, including working with other arts organizations and schools, and to offer both its participants and audiences the opportunity to experience the enriching world of dance.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019Ames Center candle centerpieces featured photos of musicians who performed at the Center during its first ten years.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019Ames Center candle centerpieces featured photos of musicians who performed at the Center during its first ten years.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019Ames Center candle centerpieces featured photos of musicians who performed at the Center during its first ten years.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019Ames Center candle centerpieces featured photos of musicians who performed at the Center during its first ten years.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019Ames Center candle centerpieces featured photos of performers at the Center during its first ten years.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019Ames Center candle centerpieces featured photos of musicians who performed at the Center during its first ten years.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019Ames Center candle centerpieces featured photos of musicians who performed at the Center during its first ten years.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019Ames Center candle centerpieces featured photos of musicians who performed at the Center during its first ten years.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019Ames Center candle centerpieces featured photos of musicians who performed at the Center during its first ten years.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019Ames Center candle centerpieces featured photos of musicians who performed at the Center during its first ten years.
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Ames Center 10th Anniversary 2019Ames Center candle centerpieces featured photos of musicians who performed at the Center during its first ten years.
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