Midland Festival Ballet

Midland Festival Ballet's mission is to promote the art of classical ballet through education, performance, and outreach.

Judy Coleman, Founding Director, opened her ballet school Coleman Academy in 1993. Soon after, she organized Midland Festival Ballet as a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization and it became the official resident ballet company of Coleman Academy. The inaugural performance of The Nutcracker was held at Wagner and Brown Auditorium in the Allison Fine Arts Center at Midland College in 1994 and included three sold-out performances with 50 performances. In 1995, two performances were held at Lee High School Auditorium accompanied by the Midland-Odessa Symphony & Chorale. A third performance was presented in Big Spring.

Since 1996, two performances of The Nutcracker have been held annually with over 2,500 people in attendance each year. Local dancers from a variety of schools make up the cast which averages over 100 students and adult volunteers annually. Professional guest artists continue to join the production in leading roles, and the Midland-Odessa Symphony & Chorale provides live orchestral accompaniment. In 1998, Midland Festival Ballet presented their first mixed repertoire Spring Gala performance entitled Works in Progress From then on the company’s season included The Nutcracker each December and a mixed repertoire Spring Gala featuring excerpts from classical ballets.

In summer 2009, Midland Festival Ballet assumed full responsibility for Coleman Academy which became the School of Midland Festival Ballet and is now providing instruction to more than 200 students annually. In addition, Midland Festival Ballet has been a member of Regional Dance America/Southwest since 1998, and is now recognized as an Honor Company in that organization. Company members travel to the annual festivals around the Southwest to take classes and perform.

In 2011, Midland Festival Ballet had the opportunity to present The Nutcracker in the newly built Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center. The new venue was a hit, and MFB has never looked back. In 2013 the company was able for the first time to change the format of their Spring Gala performance and presented a full-length classical ballet, Giselle, at the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center. Since that time, the company’s season has included the annual production of The Nutcracker and a second full-length ballet as the Spring Gala production, both featuring live orchestral accompaniment. Ballets performed so far have included full-length versions of Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Alice in Wonderland, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Midland Festival Ballet accomplishes their mission through classes and training at their ballet school, public performances at the Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center, and outreach programming throughout the Permian Basin region.