Raquel Whitehead returns to lead Montgomery Ballet school

• Montgomery Ballet is celebrating 61 years with a party on Nov. 7 at Commerce BeerWorks in downtown Montgomery
• Tickets are available at montgomeryballet.org

Montgomery Ballet is pleased to welcome Raquel Whitehead as the new school director. 

A Montgomery native, Whitehead started dancing at Montgomery Ballet before dancing professionally in Budapest, Russia, Italy, France and Germany.

“It’s such a beautiful full-circle for me. Montgomery has always been my home. Now that I am back here to raise my family, I can’t think of a better opportunity for me than to give back to this city and its artistic community,” said Whitehead, who began her new roles in August.

“She grew up in this school, so she actually knows the history of this place better than I do,” said Artistic-Executive Director Danny Mitsios.  

Whitehead has been dancing for her entire life. She’s performed in several countries, including the Rome Opera Festival and the Hungarian National Opera. She was also the youngest American ballet dancer to compete at the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland.

“We are fortunate to have Raquel, someone so connected to the Montgomery community who has also trained and performed all over the world,” Mitsios said. “Our whole company is passionately driven to expanding the arts in Montgomery and Raquel is a monumental addition to that mission.”

Whitehead said she’s been teaching ballet for about 15 years. As the school director, she will oversee dance curriculum for children, young adults and adult classes. 

“This position opened up, and I thought it would be a great fit,” Whitehead said. 

She will also oversee the company’s outreach program, LEAP, that connects community children with the arts. Through performances and classes on-site, this program has helped expose thousands of students in the greater Montgomery area to ballet. The program has grown rapidly over the past year thanks to a sponsorship by Hyundai.

Whitehead said the goal of Montgomery Ballet is to provide quality training. They’ve seen an influx of students who range from 2 to 17, in addition to the adult students. 

“This is not a recreational studio,” Whitehead said. “This is a professional ballet studio, a professional ballet school. Our teachers are amazing.” 

Mitsios said he’s very grateful for the help, which frees up time for him and Rania Charalambidou - now the outreach coordinator overseeing E.D. Nixon and Highland Gardens - to focus on other aspects of Montgomery Ballet. That includes taking “Nutcracker” to four cities this year. 

“We’re able to bring dance to so many kids in the Montgomery schools as well as communities like Greenville, Pike Road and Tallassee,” Mitsios said. “We’ve even have children from Title I schools who, thanks to training with our on-site classes, auditioned for and were accepted to local magnet schools for dance.”

Celebrate 61 years

On Nov. 7, Montgomery Ballet will celebrate 61 years of ballet in Montgomery. 

“It’s really a party to celebrate who we are, and kind of give the community a chance to celebrate and also be in the mix with us,” Mitsios said. 

This event is at Commerce BeerWorks, 166 Commerce St., Montgomery. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., with dinner at 7 p.m., and ballet performance at 7:30 p.m.

General admission tickets are $50, and include beer, wine, dinner and a ballet performance. 

VIP for two is $250. This also includes beer, wine, dinner and dancing, with reserved seating. VIP guests are also receive 2 tickets to “Nutcracker” and to the spring performance, as well as a mention in the celebration program. 

“It’s business attire, so people can come straight from work to downtown and just have a good time,” Whitehead said. “That’s what the ballet is all about.” 

Tickets are available online at montgomeryballet.org. 

Montgomery Ballet is the official, professional dance company of Montgomery, Alabama. Established in 1958, the company holds a rich tradition of majestic ballet performances and high-level dance education. The school offers ballet and other dance classes for students as young as three years old.