Mission Statement

M I S S I O N S T A T E M E N T

The mission of LakeCities Ballet Theatre is to enhance the cultural life of Lewisville area residents through the beauty and power of classical and contemporary dance; to expose children of all walks of life to the art of dance, and to provide a foundation for training and nurturing young artists.

History

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NANCY LOCH PHOTOGRAPHY

HISTORY OF

LAKECITIES BALLET THEATRE

Preserving the art of classical dance since 1984.

The evolution of LakeCities Ballet Theatre, a not-for-profit organization, has had many significant milestones. First chartered as Lewisville Dance Ensemble in 1984, the company’s purpose was to provide a performing outlet for local dancers and dance students. During the 1989-90 season, charter dance member, Kelly Kilburn Lannin assumed the position of Artistic Director and dedicated herself to taking the company to a professional level that would in turn bring recognition to the community through the arts. To celebrate the growth of the organization from a small ensemble to a ballet company with full-length productions, the company name was changed to LakeCities Ballet Theatre as it now encompassed dancers and audiences from not only Lewisville, but Flower Mound, Highland Village, Lake Dallas, Denton, Coppell and the surrounding areas of Lake Lewisville.

ARTISTIC STAFF

This extremely talented group of choreographers consistently remains committed to excellence in training, choreographing and staging of classical and contemporary works performed by LBT. In addition to LBT’s faculty, guest choreographers are frequently brought in to stage works for the company. LBT has performed the works of such well known choreographers as Jean Paul Comelin, Lisa Hess, Arlene Sugano, Shawn Stevens, Liuba Kozireva Paterson, Bill Martin-Viscount, Cherie Noble, and others. The success of LakeCities Ballet Theatre is directly related to the talent and dedication of these individuals.

Artistic Staff

Kelly Kilburn Lannin

Artistic Director

A versatile and motivational teacher who enjoys teaching all ages and levels of Classical Ballet. Her artistic integrity, high standards and dedicated students have attracted outstanding dance professionals to join the staff of Ballet Conservatory, the home studio of LakeCities Ballet Theatre, making its list of faculty members quite impressive. Originally from El Paso, Texas, Mrs. Lannin received her classical training at Ballet El Paso from director, Ingeborg Heuser, former ballerina of the Berlin Opera. With a strong passion and love for dance, she continued her dance education at Texas Woman’s University where she was the recipient of the Mary Agnes Murphy and the Anne Duggan Dance Scholarships. Mrs. Lannin performed heavily with Dance Repertory Theatre and the DRT Touring Ensemble while remaining a Dean’s List Student.

After graduating with her Bachelor’s degree in dance in 1983, she began her teaching career in Lewisville. She continued to perform locally and was a charter member of LakeCities Ballet Theatre in 1984.

Shanon Tate

LBT2 Director

Graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1994 with a BFA in Dance Performance. She has been on the faculty of Brookhaven College for the past three years, teaching Jazz and Modern, as well as being a resident choreographer for their Dancer’s Theatre for eight years. Mrs. Tate was the Co-Artistic Director, Manager, Dancer and Choreographer for the Dallas-based Ground Level Dance Company. In addition to Ground Level, she has performed with Dancers Unlimited, Ewert and Company, Karen Robinson and Dancers, and others. While at SMU, she had the privilege of working with Max Stone, David Parson and Ron Brown and participated in the America Dance Festival. An accomplished choreographer, Ms. Tate’s choreography was selected to be performed at the Dallas Dance Festival, and she was awarded the “Outstanding Choreography Award” by the Youth America Grand Prix for her work on one of BC’s students. Mrs. Tate now lives in Highland Village with her husband and their two young sons.

Nancy Loch

LBT Assistant Director

In her 24th year with Ballet Conservatory from Philadelphia where she trained at the American Academy of Ballet and the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet. She also studied at ABT and with Finis Jhung while in New York and at the National Academy of Arts. While living in Chicago, she studied and performed regularly with Hubbard Street Dance Company and Gus Giordano. Ms. Loch graduated from the University of South Florida with a BA in Finance and a minor in Ballet.

With 25 years of teaching experience, Mrs. Loch continues to study each summer in New York or Chicago to bring the latest jazz techniques and styles to our school. Ms. Loch was Ballet Mistress for LakeCities Ballet Theatre, served on its Board of Directors and is now Assistant to the Director. A lady of many talents and outstanding dedication, Mrs. Loch enjoys designing and constructing costumes and dance photography. Mrs. Loch lives in Corinth with her husband, Jeff, and they have raised three wonderful sons, Andrew, Steven and Daniel.

Janet Waters

LBT Ballet Mistress

Began dancing in Lubbock under Eugene Bandzevicus and also studied with the legendary George Zoritch. She attended Texas Tech as a Dance Major where she performed Ballet, Modern and Jazz. She performed with the Conservatory of Classical Ballet and then with Pampa Civic Ballet before joining LakeCities Ballet Theatre as a Principal Dancer.

She has enjoyed roles such as “Snow Queen”, “Dew Drop” and “Arabian” in Nutcracker, “Cerito” and “Grisi” in Pas de Quatre, “Myrta” in Giselle and Spring Waters. She is also in her 16th year on faculty at BC where she is a popular instructor of Pre-Ballet, Ballet and Jazz. She and her husband, Tim, live in Double Oak with their lovely children, Asia, Jacob and Caleb.

Shannon Beacham

Choreographer/Rehearsal Assistant

After many evenings watching a boy’s creative movement class while his sister took ballet, Shannon Beacham moved from spectator to participant at the age of ten into the world of dance. His training began under the tutelage of Brent and Judy Klopfenstein. Shannon fell in love with classical ballet. After graduation, he was asked to guest with the then named, Fort Worth Dallas Ballet (FWDB), now called Texas Ballet Theater (TBT), and shortly thereafter joined as a company member. While with the company, Shannon worked with many world renowned choreographers and artistic staff including Bruce Marks of Boston Ballet, Bruce Simpson of Louisville Ballet, Stanton Welch of Houston Ballet, and Ben Stevenson O.B.E., current Artistic Director of TBT. During Shannon’s professional career he has performed in many ballets including George Balanchine’s Four Temperaments, Serenade, and Slaughter on Tenth Avenue; Stanton Welch’s Fingerprints; and Ben Stevenson’s Peer Gynt, Dracula, Cinderella, and Coppelia.

Board of Directors

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

THE EXCELLENCE OF OUR VOLUNTEER BOARD

DRIVES OUR SUCCESS... THANK YOU!

LakeCities Ballet Theatre, a not-for-profit arts organization, is guided by a volunteer board of directors and executive committee. These individuals devote many hours to the planning, administration, and guidance of LBT.