The mission of the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet is to educate the community in the art of classical ballet in a variety of venues, to enhance the cultural life of the community by presenting professional full-length ballets, and to provide opportunity and education for all interested and qualified dancers to showcase their talents in staged productions and lecture/demonstrations. Our Company is comprised of dancers from ages 10 through adult who are chosen each spring by open auditions. We also have dancers age 5-10 perform with us in our minor cast roles. Dancers gain valuable experience by being able to dance alongside the professional guest artists brought in each year for the performances. Guest artists have come from such ballets as the New York City Ballet, the Boston Ballet, the Houston Ballet, Ballet Oklahoma, and the San Francisco Ballet. Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet has the opportunity to reach out to the community in multiple platforms. The dancers host free school performances for elementary students and civic performances are held in the community at local libraries and other venues. SMB also partners with Volunteers of America to have the Chance to Dance Program to allow some of our local students dance with us in our spring performance after having dance classes after school with our Artistic Director. The Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet has continued to grow through the years thanks to the support of the community and the dedication of hundreds of volunteers. We are a non-profit, 501 (c) (3) organization governed by a volunteer Board of Directors representing a cross-section of the community. SMB is supported by private and corporate donations, memberships, fundraisers, and grants, which enable the company to present professional quality performances each year.