Goldsboro School of Ballet celebrates 30 years
By Staff Reports
Published in News on May 14, 2010 1:46 PM
Goldsboro School of Ballet will celebrate its 30th anniversary with two performances Sunday afternoon at the Paramount Theatre. Children ages 3-7 will perform at 3 p.m. and ages 8 to 21 at 5 p.m.
The programs are open to public. There are no ticket sales and people will be seated on a first-come, first-serves basis.
The school was founded by Peggy R. Wingate and opened in June of 1980 at 226 N. Center St.
It is nonprofit organization and an affiliate of the Arts Council of Wayne County.
The ballet company moved in the summer of 1985 to 1811-F N. Berkeley Blvd. It remained there until the late fall of 1996 when it moved into its own building at the present location at 782 N.C. Hwy. 111 South.
The building has been sub-divided into two dance studios, an office, and a dressing room area.
The School of Ballet originally began as a classical ballet school, then added tap and jazz with some tumbling classes for dancers.
"As we expanded we added teachers such as Lynn Daughtry, Leslie West, Maureen Prys, Melissa Harrell, and Carrie Schotte," Mrs. Wingate said.
Mrs. Prys shared and taught the Cecchetti Method to Mrs. Wingate and her dancers. Mrs. Wingate's daughter, Mary Wingate Franklin, moved back home in 2000 and joined the staff. Katie Nenichka, who graduated with a physical fitness degree from East Carolina University joined the staff in 2008, having received much of her ballet training from Mrs. Wingate.
Mrs. Wingate has an elementary education degree from Furman University, taught public school, received her master's degree in the summer of 1970. She taught in Virginia public schools until 1972, when she began her family, having one son and two daughters.
The Wingates moved to Goldsboro in 1977 when her husband, Alex Wingate, left coaching and teaching to join Princeton Industries. He later returned to education, as did Mrs. Wingate. They both are retired from Wayne County Public Schools.
Mrs. Wingate has ballet teaching certification through the Cecchetti Council of America and teacher training through Dance Master's of America, having attended both Kent State and the University of Buffalo, NY.
She has graduated from the Arts Institute, UNC-Chapel Hill. She has belonged to the Goldsboro Junior Woman's Club and now Goldsboro Woman's Club since moving to Goldsboro in 1977; she and her daughter both attend Good Shepherd Lutheran Church.