Charlotte arts group leader says goodbye after 30 years, headed to a new job
After 30 years shaping the 56-year-old Charlotte Ballet into a regional powerhouse, Executive Director Doug Singleton announced Thursday he will step down from his role this fall.
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He is set to start a new job Oct. 1 as executive director of The Washington Ballet, which frequently used space at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. That ballet company has been relocating performances to other D.C. venues, including The National Theatre, amid Kennedy Center political controversies involving the Trump administration.
Singleton, who joined the Charlotte nonprofit in 1996 and became executive director in 2005, leaves behind a legacy of institutional stability and significant growth.
“Because of Doug’s leadership, Charlotte Ballet has evolved into one of the region’s leading cultural institutions,” said Alex Funderburg, chairman of the Charlotte Ballet Board of Trustees said in a statement.
Singleton, 57, said he has flirted with The Washington Ballet over the last 10 years, but the timing was never right. Now that his and wife Viki’s three children are grown, Singleton welcomed the outreach from the ballet’s search firm around February. He told the Observer he is “excited to stretch my wings a little bit with a larger company.”
“As I reflect on more than three decades at Charlotte Ballet, I’m filled with such an overwhelming amount of gratitude,” he said. “Gratitude for our team here, past and present, gratitude for every dancer who has dazzled on our stage and gratitude to all of Charlotte for embracing the power of dance and its ability to transform lives.”
The ballet’s Board of Trustees has appointed Kim Lanphear as the interim executive director. Lanphear led the local nonprofit Apparo for 13 years. She will work alongside Singleton until his last day on Sept. 30.
Singleton joined the Charlotte Ballet, then known as the North Carolina Dance Theatre, as its director of operations. He reflected on the early “grit and determination” of those startup days alongside former artistic leaders Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride.
Singleton recalled those early days in a 2017 Dance USA interview: “We were a small organization. When I got there we were barely a $1 million organization. I was doing other contract work as well, keeping myself busy and hustling for the next paycheck.”
Under Singleton’s leadership, the Charlotte Ballet has seen philanthropic support grow by 222% and ticket sales climb 354%. The Charlotte Ballet now has $19.7 million in assets with total revenue of over $9.7 million, according to the nonprofit’s 2024 tax filing.
Doug Singleton
A major driver of the financial success is the ballet’s signature production of “The Nutcracker.”
Singleton said in his early years, the show brought in roughly $250,000 in ticket sales with an audience of about 9,000. Today, it’s an economic driver generating about $2 million and attracting more than 22,000 people a year.
The company also expanded its national profile, including performances in 2010 and 2013 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and residencies at the Chautauqua Institution, plus returns to the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Massachusetts and The Joyce Theater in Manhattan.
He also helped launch the “Dancing with the Stars of Charlotte Gala,” which has raised a total of more than $15 million for Charlotte Ballet and other local charities over 13 years, and spearheaded the Reach Scholarship Program, needs-based initiative.
Singleton’s leadership was tested during the 2008 financial crisis and Great Recession, and again during the COVID pandemic.
He described the early days of the pandemic as a “crisis beyond imagination,” noting the difficulty of maintaining artistic intimacy during social distancing and the initial economic concerns of the institution surviving closures.
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“I would definitely say that was a really tough spot,” Singleton said.
The shutdowns challenged instruction at Charlotte Ballet Academy, which offers professional career training and recreational classes for children and adults.
Six years later, Singleton said, “we’re still growing the academy back.”
Singleton’s most visible legacy is the Patricia McBride & Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux Center for Dance on North Tryon Street. The facility opened in 2010. It houses administrative and studio rehearsal spaces, the academy and a 200-seat theater. Singleton credits Jane and Hugh McColl for helping secure the site.
“It tells everyone that the arts are important to Charlotte, and so is the ballet,” Singleton said.
Uptown Charlotte’s “cultural mile” on North Tryon Street is anchored by key assets like the Charlotte Ballet, as well as the Bechtler, Gantt and Mint museums. It also includes the Knight Theater, Blumenthal, Carolina Theater and Discovery Place. Collectively, these venues drive significant traffic to uptown, Singleton said.
“There is an intentional strategy to ensure that the center city is the thriving heartbeat of the Charlotte community,” Singleton said. “It gives me a lot of hope that it’s going to continue to thrive.”
Looking ahead, Singleton is in the middle of what he called a quiet campaign for a 35,500-square-foot addition to its facillity at 701 N. Tryon St.
The $60-million project will add studio space and artist housing. Singleton calls affordable housing a crucial component for local workforce development.
So far, $25 million has been secured, and Bank of America donated the property. Singleton views the effort as a long-term goal requiring city, county and corporate partnerships.
“The person who starts the project doesn’t always finish the project,” Singleton said. “It’s important to make sure that the artists of Charlotte are considered in every conversation, and housing is part of that big conversation.”
Singleton also has been a part of North Carolina’s cultural and civic communities, serving on numerous boards and advisory committees including Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance in Asheville, Choir School at St. Peter’s in Charlotte, ArtsNC, the Knight Foundation and the Wildacres Leadership Initiative.
As he moves to Washington, D.C., Singleton said he is drawn to the vision of The Washington Ballet’s artistic director, Edwaard Liang. He views his new role as a chance to provide a good foundation for the company as it launches into its 50th anniversary season.
“It’s a transformative moment for the organization,” Singleton said.
The board also formed a committee with Armstrong McGuire, a nonprofit consulting firm based in Research Triangle Park, to conduct a nationwide search for Singleton’s replacement.
Charlotte Ballet’s Artistic Director Alejandro Cerrudo said in a statement that despite the upcoming leadership change, he’s confident in the strength of the organization and what lies ahead. “Doug’s leadership has positioned Charlotte Ballet for a bright future,” he said.
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