Half-a-dozen young, plucky, 12- to 14-year olds are up en pointe, smoothly sliding to and from one another. Their movements are light and fluid, and will only get better with practice and polish. David Keary is Ballet Mississippi’s artistic director. He barely glances at the dancers as he moves to the side. He smiles admiringly and says that the dancers “are percolating at a certain level which’s really rewarding.” They’re like little birds” Ballet Mississippi’s young ballet dancers learn how to be a good dancer in this arts center in downtown Jackson. Keary, a 59-year-old veteran of dance, has been a performer, teacher, leader and student for more than 50 years. He continues to search for new ways to improve instruction and highlight creativity to give his audience the best possible dance. Keary was honored for Leadership in Performing Arts. He is one of five recipients of the 2018 Governor’s Arts Awards by Mississippi Arts Commission. These awards recognize Mississippians’ outstanding artistic contributions and excellence. Keary started dancing at 7 years old with ballet, tap and jazz lessons from Jean Shamburger. Jackson Ballet invited Edward Villella, a celebrated dancer, and Gelsey Kirkland (then 15), to perform a show for Keary when he was 12. We were just stunned by his talent and to see him (Kirkland) as a 15-year-old, he was just killing it. I turned to my father and said, “That’s what you want to do.” In the late 1960s/early 70s Mississippi, “You didn’t study ballet if your dad was a man… and if he did, you better be able fight or take heat.” Keary states. He had the support of his father and a balanced childhood that included hunting, fishing, and other sports. He joined Jackson Ballet as the 8th grade’s first male dancer. It was a big deal in the local press. He said that he was not given much support by his friends. Instead, he studied with Albia Kvan Cooper at Jackson Ballet. She was familiar with George Balanchine’s first ballet company and with Jerome Robbins, the choreographer. This became part of the ballet history the young teen was studying. After much convincing, his parents approved a scholarship to the School of American Ballet. He recalls that he arrived in New York City “like a Gene Kelly movie.” This summer was the beginning of a pattern for high school. Thalia Mara’s different approach to Jackson Ballet was a complement to his training. She is “so much of a classicalist” and Keary was an apprentice for one year with the New York City Ballet by 1979 and then a member of the company for five years. “I loved it…just an exhilarating feeling.” While on leave from New York City Ballet in 1985 Keary danced as a principal at Forth Worth Ballet for about a dozen ballets in a few years. These were ballets that he had never seen in New York. Keary, at 29, was reluctant to return to New York with his dancing years ending. He instead went home to Mississippi to complete his education. Keary graduated from Millsaps College, then Mississippi College School of Law. He also taught ballet whenever he could. He was a clerk for James W. Smith, the Mississippi State Supreme Court Justice. Ballet Mississippi, formerly Jackson Ballet, was in financial difficulties for many years. In 1994, Keary was elected to the board. He quickly became the president of the company and felt the frustration that even the Save the Ballet campaign could not save it. He stated that the money wasn’t available to keep the company going and that the company was shut down. Only the school was left. “We had no money, a lot of creditors, and about $150,000 in deficit.” The Ballet Mississippi Foundation loan conditions put Keary at school’s helm. He brought a business-like approach to the school’s leadership and created a new board. Keary stated that the Foundation leaders Warren Ludlam, Bill Barron and Bill Barron were crucial in the school’s transition and redevelopment. The year began with 25 children, but he added a few more during the summer. Someone suggested a Nutcracker. Keary thought he didn’t have the numbers. Fall 1995 saw registration jump to 85. “And it wasn’t just creative movement pre-ballet. These kids were full-bodied. “We started The Nutcracker that first year, and that was what got us revitalized.” It is still an annual Christmas treat and tradition more than twenty years later. Ballet Mississippi now has around 250 students and offers a season that includes a Spring Gala as well as a Fall First Moves event. Keary plans to create a fall season. Since 1998, he has been a member of the International Dance School of the USA International Ballet Competition faculty. He also plays guitar in Swing de Paris, a gypsy jazz band. Keary rewrote Ballet Mississippi’s curriculum for this year. He added more challenging classes for younger students based on his training at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. He said that the emphasis is on training dancers at a higher level to be able to compete and hold their own. Keary said that he is grateful for the Governor’s Arts Award. He was a pioneering male Jackson dancer and one of the first to be trained as a professional. Keary provides guidance and direction to the girls back in the studio. “Listen to what the music is saying. It isn’t as fast as you think.” He then praises their determination and drive. After class, the dancers pause to take in his professionalism. Kimberly Blount (14 years old) from Ridgeland admitted that she was initially a little intimidated. He was serious. He helped us a lot in the end. He helped us to grow,” Eden Wilson, 13, from Ridgeland, said. “All the difficult stuff — he makes them fun.”