The Georgia Metropolitan Dance Theatre, located on Marietta Square, announced the lineup for its 65th Season.

According to an announcement for the season on the City of Marietta website, “The 2021-2022 GMDT company is comprised of 108 students ranging in age from seven years-old to graduating high school seniors who train at Georgia Dance Conservatory (GDC) on the Marietta Square.”

Performances this season include an original production entitled “Dancing in the Rain”, seasonal favorite “The Nutcracker”, and in the spring of 2022, Tchaikovsky’s popular “Swan Lake.”

The first performance will be “Dancing in the Rain,” in-person at the West Cobb Church, and also livestreamed, on Saturday, September 18, 2021, at 7 p.m.

Tickets and live stream services for this performance start at $20, and are available through www.georgiametrodance.org.

Ashleigh Whitworth, artistic director for GMDT, told the Courier in an email “(Season 65) kicks off with a student-directed performance titled ‘Dancing in the Rain.’ Our upper-level students have choreographed, directed, and provided wardrobe for the entirety of the show, and audiences will be stunned at the passion and talent that these pre-professional dancers have brought to the stage. The show’s theme is modeled after the quote, ‘Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain.’ I think we can all identify with that, and the student-directors are going to bring that sentiment to life.”

In November the GMDT will present a seasonal favorite.

“GMDT’s The Nutcracker will return to the stage at the Jennie T. Anderson Theatre the weekend after Thanksgiving,” Gray Stoner, associate artistic director for GMDT, wrote to the Courier. “And again, we’ll be celebrating with our audiences with such thankfulness for the opportunity to dance live for them again. Since we’re expecting more theatre-goers for this show than usual, we’re adding two more performances to the weekend lineup. This show is a beloved holiday tradition that we are so pleased to offer right here in Marietta, and audiences always come away amazed at the talent of our pre-professional dancers, many of whom go on to professional dance careers.”

“The Nutcracker” is scheduled for November 26-28, 2021, and tickets will go on sale in mid-November.

“Our spring show is Swan Lake, which is known to be one of the most challenging and rigorous ballets to dance. Last year, we live-streamed this performance, and this year we are overjoyed to bring it to the stage – live – in its full glory, as it’s meant to be. Like The Nutcracker, this show features dancers from our pre-professional company who dance alongside professional guest artists. The ballet is stunning, and the musical score is one of the most loved in the arts community,” Stoner wrote.

The students who make up the Fall Showcase Production Team, listed on the City of Marietta’s announcement, are:

Director: Avery Aschwege (Director – Senior, Harrison High School), Lauren Houchins (Asst. Director/Production Manager – Junior, Lassiter High School)

Choreography: Sarah Bongiovanni (Senior, Pope High School), Isabelle Brown (Senior, Milton High School), Megan Bunkley (Senior, CCCEPA at Pebblebrook High School), and Kathryn Tillis (Junior, Marietta High School)

Stage Manager: Reese Galat (Stage Manager/Production Manager – Junior, Cornerstone Prep), Maggi Ongtingco (Asst. Stage Manager – Sophomore, Campbell High School)

Stage Crew: Helen Braswell (Sophomore, Walton High School) and Jacob Bongiovanni (Sophomore, Pope High School)

Marketing Team: Paradise Hill (Sophomore, Marietta High School), Gabriella Morris (Sophomore, Marietta High School), Mary Peyton Tanner (Sophomore, Johnson Ferry Christian Academy)

Wardrobe: Kaitlyn Puckett (Junior, Hillgrove High School) 

About Georgia Metropolitan Dance Theatre

The Georgia Metropolitan Dance Theatre describes itself as follows:

Georgia Metropolitan Dance Theatre (GMDT) is a 501(c)(3), non-profit, student-based dance company housed in the studios of Georgia Dance Conservatory on the Marietta Square. Founded in 1956, the company was formerly known as Ruth Mitchell Dance Theatre. GMDT continues to educate, cultivate, and inspire young dancers to become the next generation of artists and leaders through rigorous dance training and performance opportunities in a challenging and professional environment.