Teamwork In Texarkana

By Nina Vasko

Bringing ballet to the masses is a cooperative

venture on the Texas/Arkansas border.

Ballet might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Texarkana, the unusual dual city of roughly 60,000 people that sits smack on the border between Texas and Arkansas. With a three-hour drive to the closest major airport, residents do not get much exposure to dance. But since 1967, the pioneering women of the Texarkana Community Ballet have been working to change that.

The cost of putting on a Nutcracker can be a staggering prospect for any small town studio. But why do it yourself when you can combine forces? That was the question the resourceful founders of the Community Ballet asked themselves. Started by three dance teachers, Judith McCarty, Dixie Splawn, and Sandra Robinson, the company brings dance schools together to offer Texarkana audiences an annual dose of the art of classical ballet. The studios gradually grew in number, up to as many as 14 some years. In 1989 Community Ballet expanded to include studios within a 35-mile radius of the city, and today the roster remains steady with 10 schools.

Paper mills, logging, and farming are the major industries in this dual-state town. Texarkana has no professional dance company and can expect only one visit per year from a touring troupe. “That’s why we got started,” says Splawn. “We all had our own schools but felt the need to do something together. The seed was planted and now we put on these beautiful productions. In the early days, just about everybody had to pitch in, including our husbands.” They mustered some help from the Jaycees and Junior League as well. Today they support their efforts through ticket sales, program ads, and membership dues.

The group presents The Nutcracker every other year because the goal is to expose audiences to a range of ballets; past productions have included Coppélia, Babes in Toyland, Les Patineurs, and The Little Humpbacked Horse. “It’s often the first time our audience has ever seen a classical ballet,” says Tammie Duncan, Community Ballet’s current president. Duncan grew up taking classes from Splawn (“Miss Dixie,” as she is affectionately known) and danced in Community Ballet productions. In fact, most of the troupe’s teachers have danced in previous productions. The idea is that the next generation of teachers continues the work of its founders.

The criteria for membership in the Community Ballet are straightforward: A prospective member studio must have been in business for at least a year and must offer ballet and set a high standard for technique. Once an application has been submitted, a member will observe the school’s recital. “We look for strong teachers who are continuing their education,” says Splawn. “This is what dance education is all about. You become stagnant if you don’t strive.”

Auditions for the December production are held in August. To ensure that casting is a fair process, an outside auditioner who does not know any of the dancers is hired; only the current president is permitted to speak to the auditioner. Three years ago Deborah Case, artistic director of the Rio Grande Valley Ballet and a former student of Splawn, returned to her hometown to run the audition. “The dances worked very hard and had such kind, sweet spirits,” says Case. “I knew I was in the presence of a true love and joy for dance that I experienced as a student growing up in Texarkana.” This year Mary Price Boday from Oklahoma City University ran the audition as a master class and added some new choreography.

Community Ballet members come into the process knowing that the audition will be professionally run. “Most students start out being an angel, a Christmas tree, or a mouse,” explains Duncan. She stresses that studios have strengths in different areas. “Some years you might have strong younger students; another year it’s teens. Our student body changes year to year. We all try to teach proper technique.”

Splawn had to console one student who was devastated at not getting a lead part. “I just didn’t do my best and I need to work harder,” the student said. According to Splawn, that’s an attitude that can’t be beat.

The rehearsal process is a marvelous lesson in cooperative learning as 10 studios become one entity working toward a collective goal. Several members take responsibility for various sections of the ballet, but all are involved in some aspect of the production. Rehearsals take place at members’ studios in central Texarkana locations. “I always teach the soldiers and mice,” says Duncan. “For some children, it’s their first time performing in a ballet. I try to make sure that they have a great experience.”

The ensemble rehearses once a week until closer to the performance, while the leads undergo a more vigorous rehearsal schedule. During the week before the performance the whole production is put together. “We pull this thing together in three months,” says Splawn. “It’s a lot of hard work. Everyone has their designated job, and everybody does it.”

Community Ballet members often work with students whom they do not know, which, Duncan points out, is a great way for dancers from different studios to get to know each other. “It’s not unusual to find students attending each other’s recitals,” she says. “Making new friends is just one of the benefits of the Community Ballet.”

Rehearsals are accompanied by some strict rules. They’re not a time to solicit new business or entice students to the rehearsal leader’s studio. In fact, teachers who are conducting Community Ballet rehearsals are not allowed to wear a T-shirt advertising their studio. “We respect each new student that comes into our studio,” says Duncan. “Our code of ethics states to remember that in building your school, it’s not necessary to tear down another.”

Students range in age from 8 to 19, with the exception of a local professional actor who plays character roles like Drosselmeyer. High school theater students fill in the male roles in the party scene. By renting the backdrop for the Nutcracker and owning some of the larger items, such as the cannon, throne, and sleigh, the group is able to keep productions costs manageable. They own some costumes and rent others. After all these years they have it down to a science.

The performance takes place at the recently refurbished, city-owned Perot Theater, named after Texarkana’s most famous citizen, Ross Perot. Audiences change year to year depending on the cast, but full houses are the norm. With a ticket price range of $5 to $10, nearly everyone can afford to attend. “By using local people to spread the word, we reach a different audience every year,” says Duncan. The goal is to make enough money for the next event and have some money left over for a scholarship fund.

The Community Ballet’s mission is to instill a love of dance in both students and audiences. So far their efforts have been well received on both sides of the curtain. “We have worked together in a friendly and ethical way,” says Splawn. “It’s a lot of hard work, but it can be done, and we have done it.”

Duncan is confident that the group will continue the legacy started by the founders. Meticulous planning, a well-distributed division of work, and a love for ballet keep the group going strong. “If the next generation of students end up studying dance, then we will have done our job,” says Duncan. “When the curtain goes up there’s nothing more exciting.”   

Photo Captions (from top to bottom):

Swanilda (Ashley Grounds) and friends in the Texarkana Community Ballet’s 2002 production of Coppélia. Photo by Patterson’s Photography.

Jessica Day and Trey Fullerton of the Texarkana Community Ballet as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Nutcracker Prince. Photo by Patterson’s Photography.

The board members of the Texarkana Community Ballet. Back row: Tammie Duncan (President), Patti Thomas (Board Member), Gayle Burrow (Secretary and past President), Kathy Tomby (Treasurer and past President), Ann Nicholas (1st Vice President). Front row: Lana Grounds (Board member and past President), Dixie Splawn (2nd Vice President and past President), Sandy Spellman (Board member).

Ashley Grounds as Swanilda in the Texarkana Community Ballet’s 2002 production of Coppélia.  Photo by Patterson’s Photography.