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KSMU continues to profile local artists as a part of a series on artistic expression and inspiration. The second artist to the series is ballet dancer Marsha Warnke. She has been dancing since she was sixteen years old and is now the school director of the Springfield Ballet. Ksmu's Jana Greer tells us more about Marsha Warnke.
Marsha Warnke grew up in Columbia Missouri with her parents, older sister and her younger twin brothers. She started dancing at sixteen but says that she has loved ballet since she was four years old.
After receiving a degree in theatre and dance from Missouri University, she got her masters degree in exercise physiology. Every since then she has been performing and teaching ballet. She says that dancing ballet to music comes very naturally for her.
Warnke came to Springfield in 1990 teaching part time at the Springfield ballet and took the position of school director just ten years later. Since she has been the director of the Springfield ballet, she has helped make some changes. The ballet school recently moved into the Creamery Arts Center at Jordan Valley Park, along with the Springfield Arts Council, Springfield Regional Opera and soon the Springfield Symphony in effort to bring the arts together. Also a new program started at the school last fall called Dance Chance. The program is designed to offer under privileged children free dance lessons along with dance clothes and shoes. Warnke says she hopes the program will continue to grow.
Warnke says that her inspiration comes from seeing her students learn and grow.
Warnke says that even as the world progresses, ballet will never be a thing of the past.
Warnke lives in Springfield with her husband and two cats. In the future she plans to continue to teach and of course, dance. The Springfield Ballets next big performance will be in December as they perform "The Nutcracker".