Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet continues ‘The Nutcracker’ tradition

Dressed in her a black leotard, Kennedy Wells, 12, presents the poise and stamina of a classic professional ballerina.

Five days a week, Wells practices ballet and maintains her grades as an honor student at Caddo Middle Magnet. Dance is a serious art to her and during this season, her performance will be rich in the minds of the community as the tradition of The Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” will hit the stage at RiverView Hall in Shreveport.

Family oF Ballerinas In the role of a flower and a candy cane in “The Nutcracker,” Wells will continue a ballet legacy in her family.

“Every mother wants her daughter to be a ballerina,” Wanda Thomas, Wells’ mother and board president of the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet, said. “I am more excited for her than she is for herself. I remember all of my ‘Nutcracker’ performances. I watch her mature every year that she takes the stage, and it makes me so proud. Every performance I remember to tell her to, ‘Break a leg.’ She likes that. My parents always told me that before I danced. It’s a dancer’s version of ‘good luck.’”

Thomas’ ballet days began at age 9 at the Theatre School of Dance in Shreveport. She continued through her childhood and sparked the beginning of a ballet legacy in her family by her mother who wanted her to learn classical ballet at a young age. She danced through her time in college at Yale University in New Haven, Conn.

“Ballet tells a story and it is a language that is universally spoken,” Thomas said. “I danced with both the junior and senior companies and was a principal dancer my senior year in high school. When I went away to college, I wanted to continue to dance because it was such an important part of my life. I was able to meet people with very different backgrounds when I joined Alafia. I worked with some very talented dancers and choreographers. I continued to take classes in my free time as both a junior and senior in college, but I was preparing for medical school and did not have time to maintain consistency.”

It was only likely that because of Thomas’ ballet career, both of her daughters would follow in their mother’s footsteps – her youngest Gabrielle, 3, has been in ballet for a year.

“Dance has taught me so much,” Thomas said. “Discipline, pride in oneself and a sense of well-being are all life lessons I learned from dance. Dance definitely taught me how to prioritize my time. I danced six days a week by my senior year. I was heavily involved in church, community and school activities. I had to learn how to manage my time and make time for the things that were important to me. I want my daughters to take that away from their time dancing.”

Thomas and Wells often talk about dancing, sharing her expertise with her daughters.

“I give her pointers occasionally and let her know how tough it can be to commit to dance and the schedule that follows,” Thomas said. “I try to give her insight into how to balance her time so that she can enjoy other parts of growing up as well. I want her to be balanced.”

Big Dreams It’s families like Thomas’, which create an infectious love of dance as a modern art, and as she puts it, “The arts are essential to the maintenance and growth of any community.”

Artistic Director Kendra Meiki said to her, the ballet is like family.

“As a dancer in the company for 20 years, I know I share this feeling with many others,” Meiki said. “Just like my own family who raised and nurtured me from a young age, there is no way to ever repay this organization for what they have given me, because what they have given me is priceless. This organization is now continuing to mold and develop my daughter, also a dancer with SMB,´into a beautiful dancer and person.”

As part of one of the oldest arts organizations in the community, the ballet is a vital part in the area, Thomas said.

“[The ballet] makes us a better community by being here,” Thomas said. “As our company grows, our season grows, and we have even more to offer our followers. We want to be a representation of what is good in the Shreveport/Bossier and surrounding communities.”

Meiki agreed. “[SMB] has helped dancers to develop skills to be successful in life – whether they are accountants, attorneys, physicians, wonderful mothers or world travelers,” Meiki said. “There are many reasons why I support this organization in every way that I can. Not only does it give the gift of dance, but it teaches young men and women how to work hard to achieve whatever it is in life they want, and how to do it with grace.”

In particular, Meiki said the ballet enriches the lives of young girls.

“SMB inspires girls by allowing them to be part of something bigger than them. It gives them a voice,” she said. “It fills all the things you need as a young person. It gives them something as an end goal and that is reachable.”

SMB executive director Heidi Gerkin said the ballet allows children to dream big.

“Whether watching from the audience or participating as a member of our company or minor cast, ballet teaches that hard work has amazing rewards,” Gerkin said. “There are so many negative outlets for kids these days, but the ballet is a shining example of something positive for children and teenagers in our area.”

Events Beyond the Season Thomas recalled her performances in “The Nutcracker” and how she felt her first time on stage.

“It’s really an overwhelming feeling,” she said. “I felt free, yet, bound by choreography.”

For years in the community, “The Nutcracker” can be considered to some as a holiday tradition in Shreveport.

“SMB works hard to put on a quality performance every year,” Thomas said. “Trust me, the ballet is amazing. Every time I sit by someone who has never seen it before, I am amazed at how attentive he/she is.”

Each year, over 150 dancers perform in their holiday production and this year professional guest artists Emily Loscocco of Alaska Dance Theater and Alan Alberto of Festival Ballet Providence join SMB.

However, Gerkin said the ballet is more than just the holiday performance of “The Nutcracker.”

“While our productions are a major part of what we do, outreach and civic efforts also play a big part. We offer civic performances in local libraries and nursing homes throughout the year and our Chance to Dance program provides ballet instruction and the opportunity to perform on stage to local children who otherwise might not be afforded this opportunity,” Gerkin said.

“Right now we're focusing a lot on social media and word of mouth to let the community know that buying tickets to our performances and becoming a member of the ballet not only allows us to continue bringing high quality productions to the stage, but also supports outreach in our community.”

Enriching the community Since college, Thomas hasn’t danced, but she does work hard to share the importance of the ballet with her daughters and others in the community.

“It is a part of any conversation I have with new house officers that want to know what Shreveport has to offer,” Thomas said. “I think that everyone should experience the ballet.”

For Thomas, SMB is an important part of her life.

“My parents raised my brother and me to give back to the community that has given so much to us,” Thomas said. “I wanted to be a part of the ballet so that I could help it grow and strengthen its presence in the community.”