Ballet Magnificat! Tryouts scheduled for local youth to perform in company's local presentation of 'Light Has Come'

Local youth dancers will have the opportunity to perform in an original repertoire of Ballet Magnificat! to be presented in November in Meridian.

Kathy Thibodeaux, owner and director of the world’s first professional Christian ballet company based in Jackson, will host auditions on Wednesday, Sept. 18, beginning at 4 p.m. at the Temple Theatre in downtown Meridian. Those selected will perform will the ballet company in the production “Light Has Come — The Angels’ Story,” a holiday performance set for Nov. 26 at the Temple Theatre.

“This is an excellent opportunity for the children involved to be able to perform on stage with professionals in dance. The organizers of this production pride themselves on marking this a community-based event that furthers the artistic vision for each child involved,” said Leslie Lee, who along with Meridian businessmen Tony Sansone and Ken Rainey of TK Productions, will present the production.

Dance parts will be available for children 5 and up; pointe pieces are available. Dance experience is preferred.

Once cast in the production, local youth will work with area studios to master their piece for the stage with the Ballet Magnificat! Local studios involved are Amy’s School of Dance, Carol Merrill Academy of Dance, Caroline Carnes of Meridian Community College, Elegance Ballroom, Encore Dance Studio, Susie McCraw School of Dance, and Ms. Tina’s School of Dance in Philadelphia.

For more than a decade, TK Productions and Lee have traditionally kicked off Meridian’s celebration of the holiday season by presenting a ballet performance. With assistance from local sponsors, area youth have the opportunity to participate at no expense.

“Thanks to the sponsors this costs nothing for the children; all costumes and training are taken care of,” Lee said. “Ballet Magnificat excels in not only having a world-class cast that performs all over the world but they are wonderful with working with children and training dancers.”

The November presentation of “Light Has Come — The Angels’ Story” not only will be a debut performance for Meridian audiences, but also will be the only Mississippi performance this season, according to Erin Beaver, director personnel and operations for the Christian dance company.

According to a Ballet Magnificat! release, the 70-minute production “powerfully depicts the story of salvation from the unique perspective of the angels. This epic retelling, from the beginning in the garden to the ultimate fulfilling in the Messiah Jesus, draws the audience in to experience the great love of the King of all kings through the greatest story ever told.”

“The company performed this piece four years ago in Jackson,” Lee said. “We thought it would be something different for Meridian, but still keep with the tradition we started.”

For more information about local tryouts for Ballet Magnificat! “Light Has Come — The Angels Story” call 601-934-1414.

About Ballet Magnificat!

Ballet Magnificat! was founded in 1986 by Keith and Kathy Thibodeaux. 

Kathy Thibodeaux was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but trained and has lived in Jackson most of her life. She went on to become one of the first contracted dancers for the Jackson Ballet Company (Ballet Mississippi), dancing as principal until 1986.  Keith Thibodeaux is the former child entertainer best known as “Little Ricky” on the “I Love Lucy” television series and Johnny Paul on The Andy Griffith Show. He was a drummer for the rock band David and the Giants which later became a groundbreaking Christian rock band, with Keith becoming a Christian in 1974.  The couple married in October 1976, and together live out the mission that God put before them. In 1985, a prophetic word was given to Keith and Kathy that their lives would be changing course, and that they would begin to see greater days and greater ways to use their testimonies for Him.

After becoming a Christian in 1979, Kathy began to see dance as a way to express worship and praise to God. God gave her a greater joy in her dancing, and her motivation for dancing – worship – began to manifest itself in her performances. Kathy stepped into the spotlight of the international dance world in 1982, winning a silver medal at the II USA International Ballet Competition which rotates between Russia, Finland, Bulgaria, and Jackson, Mississippi. For the third contemporary round in that competition, against the advice of many, Kathy chose to express her faith in a dance to Sandi Patty’s We Shall Behold Him.  In 1986, Keith and Kathy founded the Ballet Magnificat! Tour Company. Kathy had a vision a touring Christian ballet troupe that would dance to the glory of God. In addition to bringing people into worship, Kathy wanted the group to be an outreach ministry in which dancers would share the love of Jesus with their audiences. With space donated by Belhaven College, and the help of Kathy’s friend and choreographer Gregory Smith, the fledgling company — the world’s first professional Christian ballet company — was soon dancing and touring across the country.  Since its start in 1986, the company has attracted dancers from professional companies around the world and now also from within Ballet Magnificat’s own professional training program.  In 1989, the ministry opened a School of the Arts which offers dance classes to area students ages 3 through adult. The school’s student companies – Magnificat! Youth Ballet and MiniMag! – are frequent guests at local nursing homes, schools, and churches. That same year, the Summer Dance Intensive and Teachers Workshop were started, and now brings hundreds of students annually from around the world to Jackson for a unique technical and spiritual experience.  Keith, who had been touring with bands for most of their marriage, left the world of music and, in 1991, joined Kathy and Ballet Magnificat! In 1993, Keith became executive director.

In 1994, Ballet Magnificat! started the Dance Program at Belhaven University, providing curriculum, faculty, and facilities to this program that has now grown into a full Dance Major, accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD). The Pre-Professional Training Program began in 1996 with three dancers, and today has grown to two levels with approximately 40 dancers. This Trainee Program feeds dancers into touring companies trained in the Ballet Magnificat! style, trains dancers for positions with other dance companies, and prepares individuals for work with other ministries. The Trainee Program is recognized by the U. S. Immigration Service as a vocational school and yearly draws students from across the U.S. and many foreign countries. 

In 2004, a second professional touring company was added, Ballet Magnificat! Omega. This company tours the United States with its thought-provoking and ministering repertoire. Since its formation, Omega has been breaking ground in Europe each spring with performances in sold-out theaters in Paris, Macedonia, Germany, Czech Republic and Italy, to name just a few.  Ballet Magnificat! Brasil was launched in February 2017. Headquartered in Curitiba, Brazil, the program includes a trainee program and performance company. Dancers from all over South and Central America joined with an international staff to proudly serve as Ballet Magnificat’s first satellite campus.Ballet Magnificat!