Twin City Ballet Company Staff

Linda Ford, Artistic Director
Gretchen Jones, Assistant Artistic Director
Wendy Waller, Company Class Assistant
Marsha Powell, Business Manager
Charlotte Crawford, Costumer and Headquarters Manager
Leona Ham, Fundraising

About Linda Ford: Linda Ford's lifelong romance with the art of dance has led her through 16 years of dance training and 47 years as an educator in the field of dance. Owner and director of the largest dance school in the Ark-La-Miss, Linda has been Artistic Director of the for more than 27 years. She has been featured on the cover of Dance Magazine, recognized by Leo's Theatrical as one of America's Distinguished Educators, has served as the President of the Southern Association of Dance Masters of America, and President of the Regional Dance America/Southwest. Regional Dance America/Southwest has also presented her the Stream Award for Artistic Excellence. She was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award for West Monroe High School in 1990. Linda received the Outstanding Artist Award by the Northeast Louisiana Arts Council in 1997 and the Governor's Award for Lifetime Achievement in Art. Mrs. Ford's devotion to the art of dance is a credit to her training at the Mary Lou and Pat Young School of Dance and with Cecilia Kelly. Her expertise in the field of dance is one of the finest artistic assets in Northeast Louisiana. Her original choreography includes three complete ballets for children, "A Storybook Christmas," "Rudolph," and "Scrooge."

About Gretchen Crawford Jones:
Assistant Artistic Director Gretchen Jones arrives at this position honestly. She began training with the Twin City Ballet Company at the age of 10 and has danced at every level, most recently as Artist in Residence. Gretchen began her teaching career while in college, ultimately earning a Masters degree from Louisiana Tech University. Her dance experience combines both performance and choreography in such venues as classical ballets, contemporary works and musical theatre. Gretchen is on faculty at Linda Lavender School of Dance and the University of Louisiana - Monroe's School of Visual and Performing Arts. She and her husband, Tram, live in Ruston.


About Wendy Waller:
Wendy, TCBC's Company Class Assistant, began her ten years of training with the Twin City Ballet Company at the age of 11. She danced with the Twin City Ballet Company when they performed "High Heel Blues" at the 1998 International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MS. Her teachers were Tommie Church, Leslie Keahey, Michelle Harvey, Linda Ford and Cindy Smith. She has been a dance teacher for the past ten years and is currently on the staff of Linda Lavender School of Dance and the Debra Franco School of Dance in Vicksburg. She and her husband, David, have a one-year-old daughter, Ella Camille.

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