Background
Bates was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas in 1932.
designer director founder manager
Bates was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas in 1932.
He studied scenic design at Los Angeles City College after serving in the Navy.
Bates began working for New York City Ballet in 1957 as production stage manager. After working at the Stratford, Connecticut Mozart and Shakespeare Festivals, and for the National Broadcasting Company Opera Company in New York City, he joined NYCB at Kirstein"s invitation and remained as production stage manager for over 20 years. His duties as included planning and executing the technical aspects of staging the ballets at the New York State Theater, of which he was also technical director
He was also for the transportation of lights and scenery and for the production of ballets at the company"s summer home in Saratoga Springs and on tour, both stateside and overseas.
He was an authority on dance floors and stage floor construction and renovated the Palm Beach Auditorium for the Palm Beach Festival. He travelled internationally to direct technical production and reproduce his lighting designs for NYCB productions staged by other companies, especially at the Zurich Ballet, where former NYCB principal dancer Patricia Neary was artistic director