Since 1973, the Cullman Ballet Theatre School has given the fine and performing arts a local foothold in Cullman. Founder and instructor Elaine Willingham has grown both the school and the popularity of ballet among young and adult students over the years, offering serious instruction in a trio of ballet methods (Russian, Vaganova, and American Ballet), as well as other forms of dance.

After outgrowing its first two locations, the school now occupies a large, purpose-built facility in west Cullman. And beginning with Sunday’s grand opening, the school will be home to a major new venue that significantly expands the variety and breadth of local performing arts possibilities — not only for the school itself, but for anyone who needs a place to stage a production or host a special event.

From 2 p.m. through 4 p.m. Sunday, the school will stage a series of free, on-the-hour ballet and musical performances for anyone who wants to drop by and check out the Performance Center — a new, freestanding venue designed to host everything from Willingham’s ongoing ballet classes to pageants, plays, concerts, and just about any other event that requires a performing arts stage.

Sunday’s grand opening is free for anyone to attend, and serves up an accessible way for locals to get a glimpse at Cullman’s ballet culture in a relaxed and informal setting. “It’s open for people who perhaps have never been here before, to view the facility as a facility — but also to see what we do here, and to enjoy some small ballet performances,” explains Willingham.

“We’ll be having three performances at the top of each hour — 2 o’clock, 3 o’clock, and 4 o’clock — and they’ll run for about 20 minutes each, which gives plenty of time for people to also check out the facilities and talk. My son, Jason, will be singing and performing some of his original music, and he’ll even be playing a piece that some of our girls will dance to.”

The new Performance Center is linked to the school’s existing Tally Ho Street building via a shared pass-through doorway, but fronts onto Logan Avenue as a separate facility that can accommodate its own special events even as the school keeps up its regular class schedule. The Performance Center’s address is 703 Logan Avenue SW.

The possibility of winter weather on Sunday is a slight concern, said Willingham, though she’s determined for the show to go on unless the roads get especially messy. To stay informed of any potential late schedule changes, connect with the school via Facebook @cullmanballettheatre.