Big Stone Gap, VA – Anticipating Richmond Ballet’s return to Southwest Virginia next week, Wise-native Tracy Roberts remembers her first role as a professional ballerina. “It never would’ve happened if it hadn’t been for Daisy Portuondo.” Roberts began ballet lessons at five years old thanks to the efforts of many, led by Portuondo, to bring classical dance instructors to the area, eventually founding the Wise School of Dance and the Pro-Art Association. Pro-Art introduced Roberts to performance, and a vocation that would define her career. “The arts changed my life,” Roberts said.

At the Wise School of Dance, young Roberts was mesmerized by her teachers, “That’s where I learned I love to perform.” Over the years the focus and discipline of her artistry never wavered; Roberts attended dance intensives in North Carolina, Washington D.C., and Boston during summer breaks in high school. She was working toward her B.F.A in dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts when her mother, Lona Roberts, sent an article announcing Richmond Ballet’s transition to becoming a professional company—and their call for auditions. Roberts was twenty years old when she joined Richmond Ballet in 1984 as one of their original professional company members. She was offered her first-ever contract by Stoner Winslett, who remains the Ballet’s Artistic Director. By then Portuondo was fully immersed, directing Pro-Art, so when she learned Roberts had joined the company, she immediately arranged a tour to Wise. “What a great homecoming that was,” remembers Roberts, “To come back to where it all started.”

Pro-Art and Richmond Ballet have maintained a close relationship ever since. The upcoming performance from Richmond Ballet II, the State Ballet of Virginia, will present diverse works highlighting the versatility, dynamic energy, and intense emotion for which the company is known on Saturday, April 15th at 7 p.m. in the Union High School Auditorium in Big Stone Gap, VA. Adult tickets are $10 at the door. Children and students will be admitted free.

Artistic Director Stoner Winslett’s “Rachmaninoff Rhapsody” will open the program with a study in classicism and virtuosic dancing. Performed to the stirring music of a lone piano, Ben Stevenson’s “Three Preludes” explores the evolution of a couple’s love in an intimate ballet setting. In an excerpt from Colin Connor’s “Vestiges”, two dancers display their undeniable connection, reminiscent of a moth to a flame. Rounding out the program is the world premiere of Jennifer Archibald’s “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner”, inspired by the classic film of the same name. For more information and reservations, please visit proartva.org.

Pro-Art partners with a variety of venues, therefore individuals with mobility issues or general questions are encouraged to call (276) 376-4520 or email the Pro-Art office at pro-art@uvawise.edu. For evolving conditions related to weather cancellations, or similar unforeseen circumstances, patrons are encouraged to check proartva.org for up-to-date information.

This performance is made possible in part by a grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Pro-Art is additionally supported by the Slemp Foundation, The University of Virginia’s College at Wise, Mountain Empire Community College, and the Columbus Phipps Foundation.

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[PSA]:  Richmond Ballet II will perform on Saturday, April 15th, 2023 at 7 p.m. at Union High School in Big Stone Gap, VA in conjunction with Pro-Art’s 46th season. Adult tickets are $10 at the door. Children and students admitted free. More information and reservations at proartva.org. This performance is made possible in part by a grant from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.