Louisiana Delta Ballet

Latest News:

This Christmas, LDB presented "The Polar Express" to more than 12,000 children and patrons. LDB performed the ballet in 2009, and decided to bring it back due to popular demand. Artistic Director Missy Crain pushed the production level even further this year with more special effects than before;

Determination Through Adversity

Webster-Merriam defines determination as "a fixed intention to achieve a desired end…" and adversity as "a condition of serious or continued difficulty…" Local dancer Eva Edinger, 17 of Ruston, could be the poster person for both terms.

LDB Hosts Moscow Ballet

Recently, LDB hosted the world famous Moscow Ballet and their 20th Anniversary production of "The Great Russian Nutcracker." LDB dancers were selected to perform with the Russian company at the W.L. "Jack" Howard Theatre in Monroe.

Links

Louisiana Delta Ballet Facebook Page

Northeast Louisiana Arts Council Website

Office of Cultural Development
Division of the Arts

Louisiana Delta Ballet - Share the Passion

It is Louisiana Delta Ballet's goal to bring quality ballet to North Louisiana in order to educate our young people in arts enjoyment and appreciation as well as to enthuse the community at large in the passion of ballet. We strive to create an atmosphere of acceptance and appreciation for dance performance and to further the growth of the arts through the development of an audience sensitive to the importance of all artistic undertakings.

The Company consists of pre-professional dancers from a sixteen parish area of North Louisiana. LDB has become a vessel for dancers to pursue a professional dance career and has also contributed to an increase in the appreciation for the arts in the community. Each year, LDB hosts a summer intensive workshop in conjunction with the City of Monroe, featuring Dance Masters such as John Magnus, Valerie Madonia, Thom Clower, Daniel Baudendistel, Davis Roberson, Stacey Calvert, Valerie Robin, D.J. Guthrie, Kersten Todey, and Christian Vincent. The workshop is the official audition site for LDB, and a popular summer program for dancers across the South.

Louisiana Delta Ballet is also proud to be a part of Regional Dance America where the Company has been chosen to perform original choreographic works each year and was recently awarded one of only five "National Choreographic Recognition Awards" for its ballet piece "Waltzes" by John Magnus at the national festival, "Festival de Dance" in Montreal, Canada.

LDB invites you to "Share the Passion" and help improve the arts in North Louisiana by purchasing a ticket to an upcoming show of the 2012-2013 season or by becoming a patron or corporate sponsor.

Artistic Director Missy Crain

Artistic Director Missy Crain has been training dancers in North Louisiana for nearly three decades. Missy Crain's passion for dance began at the early age of nine. She knew from her very first class that dance would be her way of life.

Mrs. Crain's early training began with the Twin City Ballet under the direction of Madame Cecelia Kelly and Linda Ford. Her years with the company enabled her to study under some of the world's finest ballet instructors, including Robert Joffrey, Richard Englund, and David Howard. As a principal dancer, she danced leading roles such as Cinderella, Titania in Midsummer Night's Dream, Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, and Odette in Swan Lake.

Mrs. Crain began teaching while still performing, and she found her teacher's heart. Sharing her love for dance would become a life-long commitment for Mrs. Crain. Missy Crain School of Dance was founded in 1984 in Monroe, LA. Soon after, she expanded the school into Oak Grove, Ruston and Calhoun.

In addition to teaching, Mrs. Crain has choreographed for many organizations, including Twin City Ballet, Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet, and the Southern Association of Dance Masters. In 1984, she received the Emerging Choreographer's Award for her first work entitled "Reflections. In February of this year, the Northeast Louisiana Arts Council awarded Missy Crain its prestigious "Artist of the Year Award" for her choreographic works.