The next level|New group offers step up for young dancers

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, September 2, 2009

After nearly 30 years, the concept of a dance company is making a return to Vicksburg.

Chesley Sadler Lambiotte has formed the Vicksburg Performing Arts Company, and held auditions Saturday. A total of 13 dancers from second to 12th grade tried out, and all made the cut. The group, which is not affiliated with any dance studio, will perform from now through April. Those who tried out for a spot have, at minimum, technical ballet experience.

“I want to be able to offer something in this area for those who would like to perform on the next level,” Lambiotte said. “Being able to perform more than twice a year will make you a stronger performer.”

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Lambiotte’s group is the first in Vicksburg since the 1980s, recalls local dance instructor Debra Franco, when she and area instructors formed a ballet company that later dissolved.

“A new company for Vicksburg is a nice thing for kids to share together,” said Franco, who owns of Debra Franco Preparatory School of Dance, one of at least three dance schools in Vicksburg. She teaches mainly technique classes to students of all skill levels.

Lambiotte’s group will travel the region, performing and competing with others of the same skill level. Unlike a traditional dance class, where students learn techniques and perform in seasonal recitals, the company “will strictly be learning and rehearsing choreography for performance,” Lambiotte said.

The objective, she said, is to provide a more intense and disciplined outlet for advanced dancers.

“This is something on this level that I always wanted to do,” Lambiotte said.

The dancers will perform ballet, tap, jazz, contemporary and hip-hop moves, as well as song and dance combination. Rehearsals will be at the Vicksburg Dance Studio on Wisconsin Avenue, where Lambiotte was a former instructor.

Lambiotte is a 1996 graduate of St. Aloysius High School. In 2000, she received a bachelor’s degree in dance education from the University of Georgia, where, for four years, she was part of the school’s dance company, a pre-professional group. After graduation, Lambiotte moved to New York to pursue her dance ambitions.

During her three years in the Big Apple, she earned recurring roles on two soap operas, “One Life to Live” and “All My Children,” and commercial dance jobs. In 2003, Lambiotte moved to Nashville, where she performed with the Boiler Room Theatre. She returned to Vicksburg in 2005.

Lambiotte has been the assistant choreographer for the Miss Mississippi’s Outstanding Teen and Miss Mississippi pageants. She and her husband, Brian, have two young sons, Walker and Sadler.

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Contact Manivanh Chanprasith at mchan@vicksburgpost.com

The dancers

Members of the 2009-2010 Vicksburg Performing Arts Company are:

Senior group

• Alanna Buckley, 17, the daughter of Mary Buckley-Everett.

• Taylor-Beth Cook, 14, the daughter of Kevin Cook and Carol Cook.

• Lauren Proctor, 16, the daughter of Kenneth and Melissa Proctor.

• Hannah Stuckey, 14, the daughter of Jerry and Lynn Stuckey.

Junior group

• Nikki Bass, 16, the daughter of Willie and Tarsha Bass of Tallulah.

• Anna Beth Breeden, 10, the daughter of Greg and Lynn Breeden.

• Lyndsey Cowart, 11, the daughter of Robbie and Mia Cowart.

• Mattie Carlyle Derivaux, 8, the daughter of Allen and Candy Derivaux.

• Allie Elfer, 9, the daughter of John and Olie Elfer.

• Anna Fletcher, 12, the daughter of Brad and Liz Fletcher.

• Erin Ingram, 12, daughter of Rick and Lisa Ingram.

• Sara Ann Montgomery, 11, the daughter of Jerry Montgomery and Robyn Montgomery.

• Vera Ann Sedell, 10, the daughter of Mickey and Jaynie Sedell.

For information

For more on the Vicksburg Performing Arts Company, call Chesley Sadler Lambiotte at 601-218-5557.