Jo Beth Thompson has been dancing since she could walk. Her first Nutcracker memory is marching as a toy soldier with Ballet Tennessee. “My mom was my teacher, and she never had a Nutcracker growing up. So her dream was to bring it to Dalton.”
That dream became reality when in 1994, Jo Beth’s mother, Berrien Long, founded Dalton’s holiday tradition, The Nutcracker, presented by The Dalton Arts Project. Long stitched the first costumes, artist Karen Hyde painted the sets, and Mary Ellen Gurley helped shape the earliest productions. “We have The Nutcracker because of her,” Jo Beth says.
The Thompsons’ lives are stitched into the ballet’s history. Jo Beth danced her way from toy soldier to Clara, the Snow Queen, and eventually the Sugar Plum Fairy. Now her daughters, Mary Lois and Libba, carry on the tradition, performing under the direction of their grandmother Berrien, mom Jo Beth, and aunt Lilly Douglas, all co-owners of The Dance Theatre of Dalton. Three generations in pointe shoes—Dalton’s holiday legacy in motion.
Today, the Dance Theatre of Dalton stages eight shows over two weekends with more than 300 dancers and 3,000 audience members annually. The ballet’s charm is also its humor. Tap-dancing and hip-hop mice steal scenes, and surprise cameos as Mother Ginger have featured parents, principals, and even former Sheriff Chitwood. “Truly, it’s one of my favorite roles I’ve ever danced,” Jo Beth laughs.
For Jo Beth, the highest purpose is for the students. “I’ve taught thousands of kids, and now I’m teaching their children. It’s my mom’s passion, it’s my passion, and now it’s my daughters’.”
A Dalton native, Thompson gives back through her volunteer work at Dalton Public Schools, her church, and the countless hours she pours into dance. “We love Dalton. I’m blessed to do something I love that benefits our community,” she says.
She hopes that the legacy continues with each dancer who performs on the stage, ”I hope they say, ‘I hope my little daughter gets to dance here one day.’”
Jo Beth Thompson has danced for 30 years, having studied ballet at the University of Alabama. She is an owner and instructor at The Dance Theatre of Dalton and a passionate arts advocate for Greater Dalton. You can follow along with her work at The Dance Theatre of Dalton at https://www.dancetheatreofdalton.com/, or on Facebook at @DanceTheatreofDalton.
