Kaye Lewis, artistic director of the Midwest Regional Ballet, loves portraying Cinderella’s stepsister. It makes people laugh, and she loves doing that.
But audiences will only have a few more chances to enjoy Lewis as Flora, the dumpy stepsister who tries to kill most of the men in the show. She vows that the upcoming production of the ballet “Cinderella” will mark the end of her time on stage.
“It’s just too nerve-wracking for me not to be backstage in case something goes out of control,” Lewis said. “Besides that, I love watching the kids dance and I can’t do that if I’m performing on the stage with them.”
The Midwest Regional Ballet production of the classic fairy tale will be presented at 7:30 p.m. today and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday in Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium. Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for senior citizens and youngsters.
There will also be a benefit performance for the Children’s Miracle Network at 7 p.m. Nov. 21 in the Joplin Memorial Hall, and two shows Dec. 19 and 20 at the Coleman Theater in Miami, Okla.
Lewis was born and raised in Galena.
“My family was the Shallenbergers,” she said. “My cousin Tim ran for governor of Kansas.”
She has been teaching for 23 years. Midwest Regional Ballet, based in Joplin, has presented outstanding productions that toured the area, including “Cats,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Nutcracker,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “West Side Story” and “Snow White.”
Lewis has served as a choreographer for many high school musicals and community theater productions in the area.
“I teach my dancers to be aware of the community they live in and how they can utilize the talents they have to help,” Lewis said.
In addition to teaching her students and choreographing productions, she also enjoys working on costumes.
“I’ve made most of the costumes for ‘Cinderella’ except for the tutus, because they’re a pain,” Lewis said. “I’m good at gaudy.”
“And I’m good at wearing gaudy,” said Susie Lundy, Pittsburg, who portrays Cinderella’s mean stepmother in the ballet. “It’s an honor and a privilege to work with Kaye.”
Lewis said that her love of drama and costuming started early.
“For my prom dress, I went to the high school theater costume room and got an Elizabethan gown with a hoop skirt,” Lewis said. “I wore a powered wig and powdered my face white.”
Her studio offers classes in pointe, ballet, jazz, modern, tap, hip hop and lyrical dance. Her students have won national titles in New York City, Florida and Las Vegas. She has also won many choreography awards, including 2003 Teacher of the Year at Dance America in New York City, along with regional honors in 2002 and 2008.
“That was a great honor, as it was voted on by my peers,” Lewis said.
But her greatest joy has been to help students achieve their dreams of being dancers or in musical theater.
“I have students who have been accepted to the Houston Ballet, Walnut Hill in Boston, St. Louis Ballet, Denver Ballet, Joffery Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and Tulsa Ballet summer intensive programs,” she said. “I have dancers who tour with Broadway touring companies as well as being accepted into many dance programs in college. I don’t have my own children, but these kids are like my children.”
PITTSBURG —
