Our Mission
Our Mission
Houston Met Dance is a 501(c) Non Profit organization
Our Mission:
To enhance the quality of life for individuals and society through the instruction and the performance of dance
About:
Houston Met Dance is a multi-functional dance organization that excels at instilling passion and excitement for dance in its students, training the talented youth of Houston and preparing them for careers in dance performance, and inspiring children through the art of dance. For the past 25 years, Houston Met Dance has been dedicated to enriching the communities of Houston and being a leader in diversity and vitality of arts presentation and instruction.
Houston Met Dance offers both children, youth, teen and adult classes where everyone can enjoy the artistic and physical benefits of dance in a vast range of genres and modalities regardless of age or experience level. Houston Met Dance currently serves over 1,000 students per week while providing much needed space for many other local art organizations.
Houston Met Dance Educational Outreach aims to excite, inspire, and expose the art of dance to as many spectators as possible. Our educational outreach program engages over 7,000 students K-12 from a minimum of 15-20 schools each season through free performances at the Miller Outdoor Theater and in-school lecture demonstrations.
History:
In 1995, as a former performer, company manager, and dance center director of the Delia Stewart Dance Company and Center, Michelle Smith, founder and Executive Director of Houston Met Dance, transitioned the retiring Delia Stewart organization into a new and vibrant one focused on providing the Houston public with a place to study dance. Thus, the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company and Center (HMDC) was formed. Then located in Houston’s historic museum district, the center provided passionate dance instruction to thousands of students of all ages and experiences. Houston Met Dance continues its commitment to dance education through its classes for children, youth, teens and adults.
HMD Board and Staff
HMD Board and Staff
HMD Administration
Michelle Smith, Founder and Executive Director
jhon r. stronks, Director of Programming
Lori Yuill, Director of Curriculum
Studio Faculty
Brittany Bass, Kelsey Cartwright, Courtney Chilton, Roberta Cortes, Lizzy David, Leandre Douglas, Jasmine Hearn, Alissa LaVergne, Madeline Montgomery, Pattie Obey, Dominique Seraphim, Michelle Smith, Madison Scott, jhon stronks, Lori Yuill
Studio Faculty
Kimberly Williams, Michael Zimako
Board of Directors
Michelle Smith, Founder and Executive Director
Cecilia Winters-Morris, Acting President/ Treasurer
Kiki Bacon, Carolyn Duran, Megan Jackson, Meredith McCrary, Lee Pierce
Nicole Pledger, Crissy Poole Dorsey, Shelley Potter, Andrea Streeter, Laura Whitten
Our Board of Director's Bio's:
Michelle Smith, Founder and Executive Director, has a background of over 24 years of ballet training including the New York City Ballet and San Francisco Ballet and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Texas Christian University. After college she joined the Delia Stewart Dance Company working first as principal dancer and then as Manager of the company and Director of the school where she established a children’s program and diversified the adult’s program that became the base for Houston Met Dance. She has been involved in the Houston arts and dance community now for over 30 years. In the business world, Michelle was office manager of several real estate firms for her first 10 years in Houston.
Cecilia Winters-Morris, Acting President/Treasurer has been a member of the board for approximately twelve years. Cecilia is an independent management consultant with over twenty years of internal audit experience, which includes over six years in public accounting serving clients in the energy and service industries. She is a Certified Internal Auditor and a member of the Institute of Internal Auditors. Cecilia studied dance for many years in New York and Massachusetts. She was privileged to study with Frank Hatchett, co-founder of Broadway Dance in New York and Stephen Boyd in Massachusetts. Cecilia is the wife of Lawrence Morris and the mother of Nathia, Demarcus and Darius. In her spare time, she enjoys volunteering with Fallbrook Church Boy Scout Troop 272.
Megan Jackson is currently the Theater Director at Frank Black Middle School and a Group Fitness Instructor at Lifetime Fitness. Aside from teaching, Megan Jackson is a writer and an actor. She has performed in numerous plays and staged readings in the Austin and Houston area, as well as in New York City. She has worked with well-known writers, such as Ishmael Reed (Body Parts) and Nathan Jackson (Broke-ology). She also enjoys writing in her blog: thefreedartist.com, which is her own little therapy session!
Crissy Poole Dorsey as a native Houstonian and professionally trained dancer of 20+ years, Krys has performed on local and live television in several shows and for mainstream artists. She obtained her B.A. with a minor in Spanish from Ole Miss, and Graduate Certificate from Texas A&M University in Non-Profit Leadership and Management. Through her expertise in creative direction and performance events, she's worked with nationally recognized dance and theater companies and studios, colleges/universities, non-profits, churches, and organizations. Her work has been requested by World of Dance, H-town Sneaker Summit, RAW Artists, African Fashion Week, Houston Margarita Fest, and an array of entertainment brands. She’s been featured in segments for local and national television, Radio One, iHeartMedia, Cumulus Media, and independent radio. Krys continues to serve as Artistic Director for HeartBEAT Houston Dance and Fitness, Board Member for Houston Metropolitan Dance, Education Committee for Young Audiences, and Vice-President for HeartBEAT Performing Arts Charities.
