San Angelo Civic Ballet Trains Dancers for Professional Careers

In 1983, the San Angelo Civic Ballet was founded to produce The Nutcracker. As the nonprofit organization reaches it’s 30th anniversary, it now produces at least five performances a year.

“The main thing we focus on is dance education,” Meghann Bridgeman, the Artistic Director of the San Angelo Civic Ballet, said.

Bridgeman, a former professional ballet dancer, came from Austin in 2005 to take the position as the director. 

She said that the organization provides a ballet academy and the public performances are supplementary.

The most recent performance by the Civic Ballet was The All Request Hour. The production consisted of twelve different pieces requested by San Angelo community members.

“The idea came from a long car ride from Austin to San Angelo. Two of my colleagues were in the car with me and we were trying to think of a way to engage the people of the community,” Bridgeman said.

Amongst the requests were the tango, a waltz, folk dance, tap, contemporary, and flamenco dance styles. Steve Stango, Pat Attebury, Brian May, and Sally Myers were among the San Angelo residents included in the selection of the dances for the performance.

“We have been preparing for about five weeks. The kids practice about 20 hours a week in ballet class,” Bridgeman said of the amount of time that went into the show.

Leah Seifert, a sophomore in high school, attends the pre-professional level courses offered by the San Angelo Civic Ballet. She said that being able to perform in front of an audience is what makes all the hours spent in practice worth it.

“To hear the roar of the audience,” is how Kelsey Minzenmayer, a sophomore in high school as well, described the reason for her effort and dedication to ballet.

Emma Armstrong, another dancer at the pre-professional level, said the amount of time put into dance is equivalent to a part-time job.

“This is all preparing me for a future as a professional dancer,” Angelica Ybarra said of what the studio has offered.

Both Ybarra and Armstrong are seniors in high school. Upon graduation they plan on auditioning for professional ballet companies.

The girls dancing at the pre-professional level are required to train at other studios in order to be accepted into the program at San Angelo Civic Ballet. Their studies have taken them throughout Texas, as well as New York City, Orlando, Boston, and Miami.

Seifert said that by going to larger cities the girls are able to see the benefits of their studies in San Angelo.

She said, “There are benefits to being part of a smaller studio. Dancers in larger cities may have more technical training but they don’t have as many performance opportunities as we do.”

Armstrong, a native of New York, said that having a ballet studio in San Angelo offers culture to the community.

“More people are able to appreciate the art, especially if they know one of the performers,” Armstrong said.

The next performance San Angelo Civic Ballet will host is The Nutcracker. It will run from Dec. 20 to Dec. 22 at the Lake View Auditorium. Throughout the year, the studio offers classes for all levels of dancers. For more information visit sanangelocivicballet.org.