We’re just connecting the dots.
VOLUME 8 • ISSUE 9 • December 7, 2022
hello FROM KRISTI
•••
Fifty years of the RGV Ballet’s
The Nutcracker. It’s almost as old as I am! I can remember a field trip to the McAllen Civic Center when I was in elementary school; it was a highlight of the year. If you haven’t had the opportunity to see it, I strongly suggest you go this year! I might even go with you. As I look back on it, when I f i r s t s a w R G V B a l l e t ’s Nutcracker, it was in its early years. We grew up together. Fifty years is an incredible accomplishment. As I think about Welcome Home RGV’s 15th anniversary, I can only hope to make it to 50. However, when that happens, I’ll likely be retired, just like you! But then again, everything we do is focused on protecting the winter lifestyle, so the thought of someday making it to 50 years doesn’t seem that out of reach. We celebrate the success of Deborah Case, the RGV Ballet, a n d t h e b a l l e t c o m p a n y ’s cultural contributions to our c o m m u n i t y. I t ’s j u s t n o t the holidays without The Nutcracker! ~We’re just connecting the dots.
Kristi THANK YOU TO OUR 2022-2023 SEASON SPONSORS
Rio Grande Valley Ballet -
Dancing and Inspiring for 50 Years
JIMMY KRYZAK, PHOTOGRAPHER
By Eryn Weddell Wingert
An
unprecedented milestone for South Texas is approaching: the 50th anniversary of the Rio Grande Valley Ballet and The Nutcracker, five decades of sparking inspiration and joy through dance. The RGV Ballet was founded by
Doria Avila and Alfred J. Gallagher in 1972. Avila hailed from Donna, Texas, and served in WWII before beginning his renowned dance career. His 2005 obituary read, “The Nutcracker” was one of the “longest running tourist attractions in South Texas history.”
Today, the RGV Ballet company is comprised of students from the Deborah Case Dance Academy. Case, a professional dancer, moved to the Valley in 1976 and met Avila in ’78. Avila saw something RIO GRANDE VALLEY BALLET CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 >>