When Zalman Raffael pictures the future of Carolina Ballet, he sees people talking about the technical elements of the pas de deux over a cup of coffee, then stopping by the box office for tickets to the company’s next performance.
The nonprofit’s new base of operations, Starline at South Hills, is set to open in 2028, according to Raffael, Carolina Ballet’s artistic director and CEO. Half of the 70,000 square-foot building, which is owned by development company LODEN, will be dedicated to retail like cafes and shops. The other half, owned by the ballet, will include a new office space, a costume and production shop, long-term storage, ballet school classrooms, and a 300-seat black box theater.
But the real star of the show is the light-filled atrium. Connected to rehearsal studios through floor-to-ceiling glass, it will give people a behind-the-scenes look at how performances are choreographed and rehearsed. Through live lecture demonstrations, workshops, and other events, Raffael told the INDY that he hopes to put ballet front and center.
“These things are community building,” he said, adding that the space will also give regular patrons “an opportunity to really be immersed in their passion for the ballet and art, and learn more.”
Raffael wants the Carolina Ballet to be as widely known and highly valued as the Carolina Hurricanes. According to him, many people across the country don’t fully understand what a ballet company is—a point underscored by recent viral comments made by Timothée Chalamet that “no one cares” about ballet or opera anymore (a barb that was even referenced at the Oscars).
Professional dancers like the ones at Carolina Ballet “have trained competitively throughout the world and country to receive their job,” Raffael said. The result is a top-tier ballet company that puts on dramatic, engaging performances like this season’s Snow White, which immerses audiences in a classic fairy tale through choreography by Raffael and an original score by Shinji Eshima.
Some of the ballet’s most creative performances have come during Halloween. In 2023, the company brought back fan-favorite Dracula, complete with moody lighting and narration by actor Alan Campbell. In 2024, Carolina Ballet followed up with the world premiere of a personal favorite, Jekyll & Hyde, choreographed by Raffael and featuring a brand-new composition by Eshima.
While the ballet will continue to hold major performances in downtown Raleigh—at A.J. Fletcher Theater in the Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts—there are also plans to stage smaller performances at the black box theater in Starline. Surprise pop-ups could even be on the horizon.
“We will offer an opportunity for art and culture to continue to be built into the fabric of [North Carolina and the Triangle] the same way sports are celebrated here,” Raffael said. “These art forms are a part of the history of mankind, and we’re bringing them to the people firsthand, not just in the theater.”
Renewed visibility
Founded in 1998, Carolina Ballet has been searching for a permanent home for the last eight years, but the need became especially clear after its longtime headquarters (off Atlantic Avenue) was abruptly sold in 2022. The nonprofit quickly moved into a new space on Stony Brook Drive, but was still renting, which put it in a precarious position.
As real estate costs in the Triangle rise, businesses, including arts organizations, are facing rent hikes and unexpected displacement. Owning a building will give the Carolina Ballet long-term stability, both financially and as an organization. The nonprofit expects to save some $700,000 each year between rent and operating costs, including storage fees and transportation.
“We’re always having to truck costumes and sets over to our current studio,” said Raffael. “We have hundreds of thousands of dollars of costumes in a warehouse that doesn’t have heating or air conditioning, so we’re constantly losing them because they’re dry-rotting.”
The new building will also give the Carolina Ballet more visibility, said Raffael. With a more accessible box office and an increase in foot traffic, the ballet expects a 20% bump in annual ticket sales, boosting attendance from about 66,000 to 86,000 people per year.
In addition to raising money through ticketed events at Starline, the ballet also expects to rent out the black box theater when it’s not in use. The venue, though small, will be a much-needed addition to the community, according to Raffael. Town officials often have to turn away requests to rent the theater at Cary Arts Center since it’s almost always fully booked, he said. A.J. Fletcher Theater, as well, is often in high demand.
“Having this on the Cary-Raleigh border would offer an opportunity for other organizations [and] schools that do performances, to utilize the space,” said Raffael.
South Hills
Carolina Ballet’s new HQ is the product of a partnership between the nonprofit and LODEN, the development company behind the South Hills project.
In 2024, the Cary Town Council approved LODEN’s rezoning application for about 44 acres off Buck Jones Road, near the intersection of U.S. 1 and Interstate 40. Longtime Cary residents might know it as the old shopping center near Cook Out, home to the Grand Asia Market and Roses department store.
The original plan was to turn the old, disused shopping center into a “mixed-use” district featuring a sports complex. But Cary voters effectively scuppered that when, in November 2024, they voted to reject a Parks and Recreation bond that would have funded the project.
As a result, LODEN withdrew from a contract to purchase 9.5 acres of land slated for the complex (currently home to Grace Christian School), downsizing the South Hills development to about 35 acres. Grace Christian School has since sold some of its property and is on track to move to a new campus in Apex in August of 2027.
Today, LODEN plans to make the new Carolina Ballet building the star of South Hills. The district will also include a significant amount of green space, including public parks and the “continuation of a future greenway section,” according to Henry Ward, a senior developer at LODEN. Plans for the district also include hotels, residential and office space, and more than 100,000 square feet of space for retail and restaurants.
Moving forward with the South Hills project, said Ward, is “incredibly exciting,” especially in tandem with a “regional treasure” like Carolina Ballet.
“How can we create a first phase of the project that brings life and energy?” he said, reflecting on the visioning process. “And gets the public thinking about South Hills in a new way that is in character with its future?”
LODEN hadn’t considered a fine arts use, but after being introduced to the ballet, “We jumped at the opportunity to be able to catalyze our project with such an incredible organization,” Ward said. And by all accounts, LODEN has been the catalyst for Carolina Ballet to finally find a permanent home.
It’s not easy for a nonprofit to break into today’s real estate market, said Raffael, but LODEN is ”really showing their support of the artists.” With the company’s help, the ballet plans to start construction in January of 2027 and move in during the summer of 2028.
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