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encounters many interesting characters as she travels
through Wonderland: the White Rabbit, the Cheshire
Cat, the Tiger Lily, the Duchess, the Mad Hatter and
the March Hare, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, the
Caterpillar, the Queen of Hearts—they all appear in
Mr. Maple’s version, and MMB dancers fill nearly all
the roles, except for the Mad Hatter and the
Caterpillar. These roles will be danced by professional
guest artists. Additionally, the role of the Executioner
will be played by William Johnson of Clinton who will
don rollerblades onstage as the Queen’s assassin. The
rollerblading Executioner is one of the many quirky,
whimsical elements of this “Alice in Wonderland” that
is sure to leave audiences smiling like the Cheshire Cat.
Could you elaborate on the role of
community outreach programs like
“Ballet in the Balcony” and how they
contribute to the mission of the Mississippi
Metropolitan Ballet?
Beasley Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet distinguishes
itself from all others with over 30 years of continued
dedicated service to the community through our
outreach program that has been generously supported
financially by the Gertrude C. Ford Foundation over
the past several years. Our organization strives to
produce sustainable, inclusive, and engaging outreach
programs that make ballet accessible to participants
of all racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds.
MMB is committed to making dance accessible to
everyone, from very young children to senior citizens,
through interactive dance demonstrations, discounted
and free theatre performances and lecture demonstrations.
Our “Ballet in the Balcony” program serves
thousands annually by allowing students from
organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club,
Sunnybrook Children’s Home, The Mustard Seed,
and Joni & Friends to attend our final Nutcracker
dress rehearsal.
What are the educational opportunities
available for aspiring dancers within the
company, and how does the ballet company
support the growth of young talent?
Beasley The Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet is
comprised of dancers from its official school, The
Mississippi Metropolitan Dance Academy, who are
serious about ballet training and want more performing
opportunities throughout the year. Our company
dancers range from age 8-18. The dancers begin at the
apprentice level and progress through the junior level
into the senior level. A select few will become soloists
based on talent and ability. MMB is the only company
in the state of Mississippi that is a member of Regional
Dance America Southeast. Being a member of this
prestigious organization allows our company to be
adjudicated annually in class and performance by an
esteemed dance professional and receive valuable
feedback. Our dancers perform works chosen by the
adjudicator at the annual RDASE festival. Through
RDASE’s Emerging Choreographer’s Program, many
of our dancers have won scholarships to further their
education in choreography, many have worked on solo
variations with Crystal and myself to present in the
RDASE Outstanding Soloist Competition, and quite
a few have won scholarships to summer programs at
prestigious professional school across the country and
college and universities through auditions held at
RDASE festivals.
Can you share some highlights or special
moments from rehearsals that have been
particularly exciting for the dancers and
the creative team?
Skelton The youngest dancers in our company, our
apprentices, are mostly cast as the butterflies in the
garden scene. There is a great candid photo that we
took in rehearsal in 2019 of the butterflies in this one
particular section of the choreography where their
faces are just all full of joy. The part is so much fun for
them, and this photo so perfectly captured their joyful
faces. When we set the same part on the apprentices
this year, in the exact same moment of the choreography,
they all had the same happy smiles and sparkling
eyes. It was such a special thing to see the new cast
have the same experience as the previous cast, at the
same moment in the music and choreography. It really
speaks to the power of dance and how it moves the
soul... for the butterflies, for their teachers, and
ultimately for the audience!
How does the ballet company balance
preserving classical ballet traditions with
exploring contemporary and innovative
elements in its productions?
Skelton Jennifer and I both believe that bridging the
traditions of classical ballet with contemporary ideas
and advancements in the art of dance is essential, both
in the training of our dancers and in the productions
we put on the stage. There are very few, if any, strictly
classical professional ballet companies left in the world.
To be an employable and successful dancer in today’s
dance world, one needs to be versatile. The repertory
of ballet companies these days still includes the classics
such as Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty, but also
heavily includes neo-classical and contemporary works.
Dancers need to be proficient in both classical and
contemporary work, as evidenced in the rounds of
competition in the USA IBC, which was just held
here in Jackson last summer. Those who advance out
of the classical first round, must then compete in the
contemporary round before they can advance to the
finals, which then includes both classical and
contemporary. So, we work hard to train our dancers
with both a solid classical foundation and broad
exposure to contemporary choreography and classes.
As for our shows, we have found that when we
incorporate more modern technical aspects, such as
the background projections and special effects in
“Alice,” it is more appealing to today’s audiences. This
makes the show more exciting and visually appealing,
which then broadens our audience. Additionally, we
try to present story ballets that appeal to a contemporary
audience. Last year we presented “Frozen Heart:
the Tale of the Snow Queen” which is based on the
same story that inspired the Disney mega-hit Frozen
movies. We also have presented “The Wizard of Oz,”
“The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” which
all still use classical ballet as the vocabulary for the
choreography, but the stories are more familiar to the
general public than say the classical ballet “Coppelia,”
which is a fabulous ballet, don’t get me wrong, but in
order to appeal to a broader audience, we have found
doing more familiar stories has helped us find success.
How does the Mississippi Metropolitan
Ballet contribute to the cultural enrichment
of the local community, and what partnerships
and collaborations have been key to
achieving this goal?
Beasley Dance, like many other art forms, inspires
us, teaches us and ultimately unites us. Dance has the
power to bring people in the community together. It’s
a unifying force, transcending barriers of language and
heritage, and a medium for personal and collective
expression. We have collaborated with some of the
most well-known classical and contemporary
choreographers and guest artists from all over the
world over the years to bring the highest quality
performances to the metro Jackson area. This also
gives our dancers opportunities to work with leaders in
the artform from many different backgrounds which is
experience they need to move into the professional
world should they choose to.
What are the future aspirations and
projects for the Mississippi Metropolitan
Ballet, and how can the community actively
support and engage with the company’s
artistic endeavors?
Beasley In all that we do at MMB, we strive for the
highest standards. We are creative with the resources
that we have but are always striving to improve, expand
and grow. Since 1992, The Mississippi Metropolitan
Ballet’s core mission has been to share the power and
beauty of dance with our community. Your generosity
is critical to the success of our mission. What you may
not know is ticket sales account for only about 40% of
MMB’s annual operating budget. Nearly three-fourths
of the funds it takes to operate the Ballet come from
donors and other charitable giving.Without you, our
generous patrons and donors, the art we create would
not be possible. Without you, we would not be able to
present world-class ballets such as Charles Maple’s
“Alice in Wonderland,” to collaborate with other artists
and ballet companies, to spark the love of dance in
young students and to provide high-caliber training to
future generations. In closing, I would like to invite
new patrons to come see a Mississippi Metropolitan
Ballet performance. If you see something that makes
you smile, laugh, clap, or cry, please tell your friends and
family. Bring them to a future performance. Show
them that right here in our own back yard is a cultural
crown jewel for this community and state.
Hometown MADISON • 53