— Lisa Collins Vidnovic, Director
Lisa Collins Vidnovic is a native of Tulsa Oklahoma, where she first studied with Margo Crowdus, Moscelyne Larkin, and Roman Jasinski, Sr. She began her professional dance career at the age of sixteen with Chicago City Ballet, then a part of Lyric Opera of Chicago, where she rose to the rank of soloist.
From 1979 -1989 Ms. Collins danced with the Pennsylvania Ballet, performing a wide repertory that ranged from the classical Swan Lake Pas de Trois to the Female Solo in Merce Cunningham’s world premiere of the ballet Arcade. During her last two seasons with the company, Ms. Collins also served as Ballet Mistress. Ms. Collins taught on the faculty of the School of Pennsylvania Ballet from 1983-1996, and on the faculty at Bryn Mawr College from 1990-2000. She joined the Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble in 1993, and served as Ballet Mistress for the troupe from 1995-2003.
In 1996, Ms. Collins founded Metropolitan Ballet Academy in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. Students from the Academy have been accepted for study at numerous professional programs, including American Ballet Theatre, School of American Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Boston Ballet, Kirov Academy, Harid Conservatory, and Pennsylvania Ballet. Additionally, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Ballet Austin, Richmond Ballet and State Street Ballet have accepted recent MBA graduates for their company, apprentice and trainee programs.
Metropolitan Ballet Company is the outgrowth of several programs initiated by the Academy in 1999, and was established as a non-profit in 2001. Metropolitan Ballet Company provides scholarships, performance training for pre-professional dancers and outreach programs designed to promote a love and appreciation of dance in our community.
MBC scholarship programs currently provide more than 50 children with tuition free training. The renowned Boys’ Scholarship Program was the focus of an international television documentary produced by Voice of America TV (2000) and is the proud recipient of ongoing support from The Loeb Performing Arts Fund of The Philadelphia Foundation (2001-present).
MBC’s pre-professional training company, under the artistic direction of Ms. Collins, debuted in February 2002 and provides classically trained, pre-professional students with specialized coaching, guest instructors, guest choreographers and performance opportunities.
Students from the Academy and Company regularly appear in area productions. MBA students have appeared in Pennsylvania Ballet’s The Nutcracker each year since 1999. They have also appeared in Pennsylvania Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, La Fille mal Garde, and Cinderella. In 2006, MBC made its first appearance with Temple Opera Theater in Falstaff. MBC is a full performing member of Regional Dance America, a national association of classical ballet companies.