Memphis Dance Theatre became the first dance company to present a concert at the William Rose Theatre in the Mertie Buckman Fine Arts Center at St. Mary's Episcopal School on February 15 with two performances featuring national guest artists as well as members of MDT's company and school.

Guest artists Karen Burns, former principal for Nashville Ballet; LaMont Ross, formerly of Los Angeles and Nashville and a renowned choreographer; and Dmitri Roudnev, who trained with the Bolshoi Ballet and is now Director of Ballet Intensive from Moscow as well as being involved with MDT, performed selections from Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker, Winter Bonfire, and other well-known works.

Some 300 people, including member of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Memphis, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, attended the two performances that preceded the Dance Theatre's first Sweetheart Gala Reception sponsored by The Barre Association, the volunteer arm of MDT.

Artistic Director of MDT, Julie Knowles, attending with husband, Tom, congratulated their young company of dancers for performances that had the appreciative audience of family, friends, and dance aficionados glowing with pride and admiration.

MDT dancers included Nikoo and Mehri Paydar, Amber Elrod (who has just been accepted by the Joffrey Ballet School in New York), Ashley Maddox, Erin Cadman, Sara Thompson, Courtnay Greer, Emma and Esther Price, Luke Rawlings, and Theresa Brignole.

-RSVP Magazine