(318) 677-2504 www.unitedwaynwla.org 820 Jordan St. #370, Shreveport, LA 71101.

Three former dancers are honoring the past of one of Shreveport’s oldest arts organizations while keeping a firm eye on the future. The Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet (SMB), founded in 1973, recently completed a season-long celebration of its 40th Anniversary. The company has grown from humble beginnings to become a respected and stable community organization, presenting a full season of 4 ballets each year. Current SMB Artistic Director Kendra Feazel Meiki trained under founding Artistic Director Marion Mills and was a Principal Dancer with the company for many years before taking the creative reins in 2001.

SMB is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors, and former SMB dancer Margaret McVie Crittell will complete her two-year term as President at the end of May 2014. Another former SMB dancer, Wanda Henderson Thomas, will serve as President for the 2014- 2015 and 2015-2016 seasons. One of SMB’s sustaining qualities has been the continued involvement of alumni dancers and their families, even after their own performing careers come to an end. Family ties are indeed strong in the organization: Crittell, Meiki, and Thomas all have daughters who currently dance with SMB’s Junior Company SMB’s season begins in September with Fall for Dance!, a collaborative effort with other local dance companies. The centerpiece of the season schedule is the traditional classic, The Nutcracker, which annually draws large crowds to Shreveport’s Riverview Theater to kick off the holidays. In the spring, SMB presents full-length ballets drawn from the classical repertoire….or sometimes creates its own, as with the critically-acclaimed original ballets Snow White, The Wizard of Oz, and Aladdin. These collaborations with local composer Kermit Poling have allowed SMB to reach new audiences and tell new stories, resulting in important artistic and organizational growth.

SMB looks forward to the next 40 years, with successful women leading the way!