Doug Singleton, Executive Director, Charlotte Ballet

Doug Singleton, executive director at Charlotte Ballet, spoke with Invest: about the company’s ongoing role in the cultural identity of Charlotte. “Bringing world-class, master artists in the dance world to Charlotte has caught the eye of our colleagues across the industry. We are becoming a beacon for others looking for what is coming next in the dance world.”

What developments over the past year have had the greatest impact on Charlotte Ballet’s growth or direction?

Alejandro Cerrudo, our artistic director, is pointing us in an exciting direction. He developed his first program in 2023-2024, and we are now finishing our 2025-2026 season. Alejandro allows his vision to flow through the dancers, which provides a unique experience for our Charlotte audiences. We are taking the art form of ballet to a new level. It’s an exciting journey that Alejandro is helping to shape and build. Charlotte Ballet is on the precipice of recognition that the company hasn’t seen in decades because of Alejandro’s artistic vision and direction. The artistic vision and repertoire we are bringing to Charlotte is our ability to truly transform the art form. The traditional expectation of tutus and tiaras is beautiful and amazing, but only scratches the surface of what the human body can do and how we can release the imagination of individuals as they tell their own stories onstage. Bringing world-class, master artists in the dance world to Charlotte has caught the eye of our colleagues across the industry. This will inspire both our own professional dancers and the students and emerging artists here in Charlotte. We are becoming a beacon for others looking for what is coming next in the dance world. 

What makes the Charlotte region stand out nationally? How do you see the arts contributing to the city’s broader economic narrative?

Urban core revitalization across the country is being driven in part by arts institutions. A fintech company recently coming to Charlotte wanted its headquarters in the Uptown central business district, and they wanted their employees to come to the office. An office culture is critical to the success of any organization. At Charlotte Ballet, we never stopped coming to the office. You can’t dance virtually. Performances draw people together to watch dance. It’s a vital, shared human experience. Museums, performing arts, and visual artists play a key role in the vitality and feel of our downtown areas. They create a palace of meaningful existence inside any community. City government and corporate leadership both realize that bringing people back to the office is important, and what they do after work in the Uptown area is just as important. 

As audience expectations continue to evolve, how is Charlotte Ballet adjusting its programming or experience to stay relevant and compelling?

We tell our story through the emotional experience we bring to people. What separates humans from other creatures is our ability to feel emotion that we can share with one another. Our society needs the ability to find commonality with each other and understand human experiences. This creates empathy, understanding, and values that don’t always show up in our world. 

Charlotte Ballet has long invested in educational outreach. How are you expanding or evolving your community programs to serve a growing and diversifying region?

We recently completed an economic impact study with Davidson College to understand the impact of the Ballet not just in Center City and Mecklenburg County, but reaches across the Carolinas. The ballet allows us to create programming that brings people from all parts of our region, driving economic value to others in the local economy, such as restaurants, shops, and hotels. We create weekend-long, multi-generational experiences. Many times, it’s grandparents bringing their families. Ongoing investment in school and scholarship programs helps ensure access to high-level training in the entire Charlotte community. A new initiative, a collaboration between Novant Health and the Bechtler Museum, is called “Art on Prescription.” Art fills a time and space that not only affects the physical body but also the mental ability for us to manage through loneliness. Being together is an important part of being human. Doctors recognize the value of community and prescribe theater attendance to help combat mental and physical health challenges. 

What is the business rationale behind the expansion plan on North Tryon, combining rehearsal space, mixed-income housing, retail, and public events into a single campus?

A national grocery has gotten permitting completed at the city level. We don’t have a grocery store in the North Tryon district. The closest grocery store is about eight blocks away, and the new grocer is an important step to the revitalization of North Tryon. The housing challenges in Charlotte are no secret, and it’s not dissimilar to other significantly growing cities. The new building standards and codes have focused on infill in the more dense areas of Charlotte, which is pushing people out to the suburbs. For the artists in Charlotte, it is difficult to afford to live in the Central Business District and Uptown Area. Without artists in the community, we will miss a real opportunity to create uniqueness. We are working with Laurel Street Residential on a mixed-income housing development on our property, with support from Bank of America and the Knight Foundation. We are already at 20% of a $60 million goal. We are helping to ensure that artists are prioritized as we think about the development and residents that will live in these districts. This is the first time in Charlotte that we’ve had artist housing, and it’s going to help transform North Tryon Street. 

How are you managing the financial pressures, and what role do donor engagement, ticket sales, and strategic partnerships play in maintaining financial resilience?

We are increasing studio space and allowing our small, black box theater of 200 seats to be available to the community for rental. From a business model standpoint, the challenge has been that earned revenue for the Ballet has increased, but we haven’t kept pace with inflation because we want to be accessible. Philanthropy has done an amazing job, but giving is concentrated. The 80/20 donor “rule” has become 90/10. We are grateful for the continued support from the city of Charlotte. They recognize the cultural sector as an economic driver. The arts are in every community in Charlotte. 

Is there a way that somebody reading this article can participate in the arts and culture of Charlotte?

Everyone has a level of artistry inside them, and I would tell anybody to take the risk. Try a pottery class or a dance class. Spend time in an art gallery and talk to the artists. These opportunities are available to us every day. Everyone can be an artist and enjoy art for what it is.  

What are your top priorities for Charlotte Ballet over the next two to three years?

Our top priority is building our new campus, which will be an economic driver for the North Tryon District and bring our dancers to the community to live and work. We want to increase our patrons and opportunities for performances in the community. We are also looking forward to the opportunity to perform on stages across the world and make Charlotte proud of their cultural ambassadors.