this is our story
A VISUAL TIMELINE OF THE ALABAMA DANCE THEATRE
1986-87
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Company founded by Artistic Directory Kitty Seale
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First spring performance, Sweet Feet, performed at Lanier High School
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First holiday performance, Mistletoe, performed at Alabama Shakespeare Festival
1987-88
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Accepted to Southeastern Regional Ballet Association (RDA/SE) as an Intern Company
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Alabama State Council on the Arts (ASCA) funded spring performance, Sweet Feet, for the first time
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First two week summer seminar and free public performances, Late Day of Late Summer
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Kitty attended National Craft of Choreography conference
1988-89
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Implemented first five year plan
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ADT promoted to Performing Company in RDA/SE
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ASCA funded Mistletoe for the first time
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Leslie Jane Pessemier set her contemporary (RDA) award winner La Evocation for ADT
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Hired a Ballet Master
1989-90
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Performed first classical ballet, Leslie Norton's, La Boutique Fantasque
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Performed Magdalena Maury's Suite for Le Piano
1990-91
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Performed Scheherazade choreographed by Leslie Norton
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The one-act ballet is based on the prologue of "The Thousand and One Nights" of which Scheherazade, the legendary Persian queen, is the storyteller.
1991-92
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ADT promoted to Honor Company in RDA/SE
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Presented Wes Chapman's American Ballet at the Davis Theatre and again in the fall of 92.
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Premiered Amelie Hunter's, Messiah, with the Memorial Presbyterian sanctuary choir
1992-93
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Hired consultants George Thorn and Nello McDaniel from ARTS Management Institute in Blackburg, VA to help the Long Range Planning committee define ADT's role in the community, structure board, volunteers, and plan for the future
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Performed Swan Lake ACT II staged by Larisa Sklyanskaya
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Received ASCA programming grant to help build staff
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Hired a business coordinator
1993-94
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Implemented 3 year progrect to build Leslie Jane Pessemier's full-length Cinderella
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ADT Company member Wendy White Sasser presented the Presidential Scholar in the Arts Award at the White House in Washington, D.C.
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Katherine Sanders Parsons received Monticello Award for the best female choreographer at RDA/SE
1994-95
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Presented Ballet Stars of Moscow
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Performed Cinderella, ACTS I & II
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Hired Daniel Murray, Lighting Designer from the Santa Fe Opera
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Hired Cuban trained Magda Aunon to set Paquita Suite
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Hired Thom Clower to stage Les Sylphides
1995-96
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Company's 10th Anniversary Season
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Presented Chuck Davis African American Ensemble
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Performed first neo-classical ballet: Megan Bonneau's Brise de la Nuit
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Hired Wes Chapman, American Ballet Theatre Principle, to perform Giselle with ADT
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Sent Valari Lagrone to New York to study role with American Ballet Theatre
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Jenny Plunkett Letner awarded the Monticello award for best female choreographer
1996-97
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Raised money and added a rehearsal and performance stage to the Armory Learning Arts Center
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Presented Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble
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Completed three year Cinderella project
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Performed Thor Sutowski's, Crystal Edge
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Hired Dame Sonia Arova to stage La Bayadere, beginning a collaboration with ADT that lasted the rest of her life
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Hired publicity director
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Jenny Plunkett awarded top choreography award at Panoply Arts Festival in Huntsville
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Attended National Festival of Regional Dance America in Houston, Texas
1997-98
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ASCA funded Late Day of Late Summer for the first time
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Presented Alabama Ballet's Dracula
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Jenny Letner's, Facets, won top choreography award at Panoply Arts Festival it also is selected for the RDA/SE emerging program
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Acr de la Vie by Leslie Jane Pessemier is performed on the Gala at (RDA/SE)
1998-99
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Performed Alan Hineline's, 18 Minutes, 5 seconds
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Trained first male apprentice under MAPP program
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Performed Giselle, ACT I staged by Dame Sonia Arova with guest artists Roger Van Fleteren and Addison O'Day
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Hired Director of Development
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Kitty Selected as Regional Dance America Coordinator for RDA/SE
1999-00
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Performed Dame Sonia Arova's Sleeping Beauty, ACT I
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Hired Ilya Kuznetsov, former Bolshoi soloist (under MAPP) to perform Giselle, teach, and perform for Late Day of Late Summer
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Hired 4 men for Sleeping Beauty (MAPP)
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Commissioned Alan Hineline and Jerome Begin to create a ballet for ADT: Static Interruptions was later selected for the RDA National Choreographer Award
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Recruited & trained 8 boys to perform in Graduation Ball (MAPP)
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Trained second male apprentice (MAPP)
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Panoply Honorable mentions received by Jenny Plunkett Letner for Bolero and Janie Allen Alford for Sundance
2000-01
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Applied for and was accepted by the Balanchine Trust to perform first Balanchine ballet, Valse Fantaisie
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Hired Ilya Kuznetsov to perform in Les Sylphides
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Waltz of the Flowers, staged by Thor Sutowski
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New work commissioned to be choreographed by Leslie Jane Pessemier, called Dawn's Child
2001-02
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15th Anniversary Season
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Performed ballet's oldest comedy, Coppelia, staged by Magda Aunon & Magaly Suarez
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Performed Alan Hineline's, San Souci
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Applied for an performed second Balanchine ballet, Stars and Stripes with New York City Ballet guest artists Charles Askegard and Abi Stafford
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Reverie, first piece by Sara Sanford, performed at (RDA/SE)
2002-03
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Became an Advanced Arts Institution with ASCA
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Performed first Fosse piece at Late Day of Late Summer
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Rikadla, by Leslie Jane Pessemeir returns to be performed. It would late be selected for the Gala at (RDA/SE)
2003-04
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Was invited to perform at Alabama Governor Bob Riley's Inaugural Ball
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Applied for and was accepted to perform another Balanchine ballet, La Source
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Scheherazade by Leslie Norton returns to the stage
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Gospel Truth by Resident Choreographer Janie Alford performed on the Gala at (RDA/SE)
2004-05
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Performed Amelie Hunter's Messiah with the Montgomery Chorale under the direction of Becky Taylor
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Started the MOVE (Men On the Verge of Excellence) program, giving ballet classes to juvenile inmates at Camp Davis Treatment Center, a project of the Montgomery County Juvenile Court System
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Roger Van Fleteran, former soloist with American Ballet Theatre and now Associate Artistic Director sets a new work entitled Unraveled
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Late Day of Late Summer changes to Stars on the Riverfront, performances move down to The Riverwalk Amphitheater
2005-06
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ADT presented its first Military Appreciation Night at the Davis Theatre, a closed performance for military personnel and their families with a special reception for honored military guests and their Chamber of Commerce Partners
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ADT Student Choreographer, Sara Sanford, presented her first full length ballet, Peter Pan
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Kitty Seale honored by the Air Force Space Command by being asked to take part in the Air University Leader's Tour at Peterson AFB in Colorado
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Amy Orr returns to set her comedy piece Moving Violations
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Angela Hill's piece Refractions selected for Gala and Ballet Master Foye Dubose's Yauvana for the emerging program (RDA/SE)
2006-07
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Raised money for and added Montgomery's first floating dance floor to the stage at the Armory Learning Arts Center
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Cascade by Jenny Plunkett Letner returns to the stage
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Kitty Seale brings back her First Dance to the stage
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Attended National Festival of RDA in Pittsburgh, PA
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Sara Sanford's work C'est La Vie was chosen for the Gala and was also 1st Runner Up for the National Commissioning Project which she later was awarded
2007-08
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ADT Resident Choreographer Sara Sanford presents, A Christmas Carol, performed with Montgomery Youth Chorale under the direction of Joel Gregory
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First collaboration with Clef Works featuring live music. Foye Dubose presented La Gioventu un Gruppo and Sara Sanford presented Transference
2008-09
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Co-hosted RDA/SE in Montgomery, AL with SEDAC of Dothan, AL
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Resident Choreographer Janie Allen Alford's piece Dances of Faith, performed to live music by Nashville songwriter and performing artist Beth Nielsen Chapman, was selected by RDA/SE to represent the region at the International Ballet Competition (IBC) the next spring.
2009-10
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Returned to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival with Resident Choreographer Sara Sanford's production of Dracula
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Performed Resident Choreographer Janie Allen Alford's piece Dances of Faith at the International Ballet Competition, representing RDA/SE
2010-11
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Co-hosted RDA/SE in Montgomery, Alabama with SEDAC of Dothan, Alabama
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ADT premiers Little Match Girl by Sara Sanford
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Amelie Hunter's Messiah returns to the stage
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Sara Sanford premiers her full-length production of The Little Mermaid
2011-12
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20th Anniversary Season
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Sara Sanford's A Christmas Carol returns to the stage
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Invited all ADT alumni back for a reunion weekend to see the spring performance and attend a gala party at the Armory Learning Arts Center
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Attended Regional Dance America's National Festival in Montreal, Canada. Sara Sanford's The Way of Grace is selected to be performed
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Resident Choreographer Sara Sanford awarded the National Choreography Plan
2012-13
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Founding and Artistic Director Kitty Seale received the Governor's Arts Award. Casey Vaughan Bailey, Joy Ohme, and Kate Seale Smith returned to the stage in a surprise performance with live music by Susan Cooper and choreography by Sara Sanford in a piece entitled Du bist die Ruh
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Giselle, Act II is staged by Shawn Black
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Sara Sanford's Dracula returns to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival Stage
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RDA/SE selects Sara Sanford's C'est la Vie for the Gala performance
2013-14
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Co-hosted RDA/SE in Montgomery, Alabama with SEDAC of Dothan, Alabama
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La Bayadere, Kingdom of the Shades, staged by former American Ballet Theatre soloist Shawn Black
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Amelie Hunter returns to stage the classic "Messiah"
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New spring production "The Princess Stories" featuring classic and new creations such as Swan Lake after Lev Ivanov and Marius Petipa, and Aladdin and Pocahontas by Resident Choreographer Sara Sanford
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Conjoint selected for Emerging by Taylor Jordan and Among the Ruins by Sara Sanford selected for Gala (RDA/SE)
2014-15
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Les Sylphides staged by Marianna Tcherkassky, former principle dancer with American Ballet Theatre for Stars on the Riverfront.
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ADT returns to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival with Sara Sanford's full-length production of Dracula
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Pantomimes ​by Sara Sanford receives Gala credit at the Gala Banquest, Contained Chaos by Makenzie Kilpatrick presented at the Emerging choreographer program
2015-16
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Dream Scene from Don Quixote staged by Shawn Black after choreography by Marius Petipa
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Amelie Hunter's Messiah returns
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Peter Pan by resident choreographer Sara Sanford returns with Roderick Pitts-Phifer in the title role, guest artist named top 20 male dancers on FOX-TV "So You Think You Can Dance"
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Sara Sanford receives gala credit for Kakegoe (RDA/SE)
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2016 ADT Dancers reunited with Dr. Chuck Davis with master classes at RDA/SE
2016-17
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30th Anniversary Pearl Season begins
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The beginning of a three year project with the Daniel Foundation of Alabama to build the full length Beauty and the Beast choreographed by resident choreographer Sara Sanford
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Dracula returns to the Alabama Shakespeare stage along with Mistletoe
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Regional Dance America National Festival is held in Phoenix Arizona, are we human? choreographed by Sara Sanford is selected to be performed
2017-18
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Taylor Jordan alumni, performs ​​Stars on the Riverfront in & original work by Juan Rodriguez, former Complexions company member
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ADT's full-length production of The Little Mermaid by Sara Sanford returns to the Davis Theatre
2018-19
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Betsy Mcmillan, ADT alumni, former principle dancer with Ballet Magnificat! and founding artistic director of Vivid Ballet and Connecticut Youth Ballet returns for Stars on the Riverfront as a master teacher and to stage Paquita Suite
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First "An Afternoon Tea" with Alabama Dance Theatre held at the Armory Learning Arts Center
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3 year project with Daniel Foundation of Alabama concludes with the world premier of resident choreographer Sara Sanford's Beauty & the Beast
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ADT Wardrobe Mistress Suzanne Sheppard passes away
2019-20
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Kitty Seale, artistic and founding director of the Alabama Dance Theatre passes away
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Support from Kiwanis Club, ADT held MPS On Their Toes performance
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Afternoon Tea with ADT held at Capitol City Club
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ADT brings back Sara Sanford's full-length Cinderella
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Coronavirus (COVID-19) ends classes after spring break and cancels ADT's annual recital. (First canceled performance in ADT history)
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ADT introduces Zoom virtual classes to keep dancers dancing.
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RDA/SE festival also canceled due to COVID-19.
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ADT Summer Intensive held at the Armory Learning Arts Center for families only. Stars on the Riverfront public performance canceled.
2020-21
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ADT hires new Director of Development and Public Relations Emily Dauber Flowers
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ADT releases its first-ever virtual performance entitled "Mistletoe at Home" collaborating with local musicians presented in a performance/docuseries format.
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The Alabama Dance Theatre collaborates with the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts on a new program entitled "Move With Me." ADT and the MMFA believe the program offers students a unique experience by combining the physical movement of dance, perceived movement in art, and the language arts in a new and innovative way.
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COVID-19 keeps Spring Performance regulated to families only.
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RDA/SE Hosts a Virtual Satellite Festival
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ADT invites young people throughout the community at no cost at first-ever Community Day with master teacher Lauren Anderson of Houston Ballet, Lance Washington, and Taylor Jordan ADT alumni.
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ADT returns to the Riverwalk Amphitheater for Stars on the Riverfront
2021-22
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The Alabama Dance Theatre hosts its annual Military Appreciation/First Responders sneak peek. This year health care professionals are added to the list to commend their tireless and selfless work during the pandemic. This night of giving back has been officially renamed "Hometown Heroes."
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Mistletoe is held at the Davis Theatre for the Performing Arts and is open to the public.
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The Armory Learning Arts Center's name is officially changed to the Montgomery Cultural Arts Center.
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Alabama Dance Theatre returns to Troy University's Davis Theatre for the Performing Arts with its full-length production of Beauty and the Beast & More.
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RDA/SE is held in Daytona Beach, Florida. Celeste Herod & Shannon McGaughey's Emerging Choreography works are selected for the Emerging Choreographer's performance.
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Sara Elyse Sanford's "Morphology" is performed and awarded Gala Credit at the Gala Banquet.
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ADT Dancers are awarded numerous scholarships, recognitions, and college offers.
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The second year of "Community Day" series, ongoing Community Outreach Program, featuring Master Teachers such as Lance Washington, Kaiya King, Liza Simpler, Jenny Letner, Taylor Jordan, Anna Fredeen, Janie Alford, Savannah Golden, Ke'Yana Robinson
2022-23
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Armando Luna teaches during ADT Intensive as well as choreographs a new original classical work entitled "Jupiter."
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Stars on the Riverfront returns to the Riverwalk Amphitheater in Downtown Montgomery. The last performance is rained out but still performed to a packed auditorium at the Montgomery Cultural Arts Center.
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Anna Fredeen selects ADT through RDA/SE as the company she wishes to work with. ADT's Junior Company is given the opportunity to work with a choreographer to set up a new original work.
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ADT collaborates with Clefworks to present new work at Stars on the Riverfront featuring live music.
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Community Day returns with Lance Washington, Anna Fredeen, and Liza Simpler.
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Dracula is performed for the first time at Troy University's Davis Theatre for the Performing Arts.
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ADT Dancers are invited to take a master class with Kyiv City Ballet at MPAC.
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ADT performs Spring Gala at Troy University's Davis Theatre for the Performing Arts featuring original works from the company's repertoire.
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Shannon McGaughey's "Jubilation" was picked for Emerging Choreographers Program. Cameron Caldwell was selected as Senior Classical Male Soloist, and Sara Elyse Sanford's "A Lady We All Know," was selected for the Gala Performance.
2023-24
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Armando Luna teaches during ADT Intensive and sets "Swan Lake Suites" for Stars on the Riverfront
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Taylor Jordan, former ADT alumni, creates a new work called "Reverberating Edges" for Stars on the Riverfront
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Sara Elyse Sanford, Assistant Director, creates a new work entitled "Rejoice."
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Community Day returns in partnership with The Cloverdale Playhouse.
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Mistletoe is performed at Troy University's Davis Theatre for the Performing Arts. 19 Favorite Dances are performed and three new works are added including Ave Maria, O Holy Night by Assistant Director Sara Elyse Sanford and Blue Christmas by ADT professional dancer Shannon McGaughey.
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ADT Dancers perform excerpts from Cinderella at the Grand Ball of Alabama.
2024-25
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Shawn Black sets "La Sylphide" for Stars on the Riverfront. Armando Luna, Jonathan Chapman, Taylor Jordan, and Karen Licari teach as guest faculty.