The dancers

of the Georgia Youth Ballet, a Fayetteville based pre-professional ballet

company, come together on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights

to prepare for their next event.

The Georgia

Youth Ballet heads to Knoxville, Tenn. April 18 to participate and perform

in the annual four-day conference of the Southeastern Regional Ballet

Association (SERBA).

SERBA is a

regional ballet movement, which began in 1956, that offers its member

companies an opportunity to perform for each other and work with experienced

dance instructors.

"I would

have to say every good pre-professional ballet company in the Southeast

is a member of SERBA," said Magdalena Maury, the director of the

Georgia Youth Ballet.

Every year

over 800 dancers from different pre-professional ballet companies attend

the SERBA conventions.

"Attending

SERBA affords our students an opportunity to compare their dancing to

other students of similar age and background," Maury said.

At this year's

conference, the Georgia Youth Ballet will perform two different pieces.

On Thursday night of the conference, the company will present a choreographed

work by JR Davis. Davis's dance features girls wearing all white dancing

in complete darkness.

The white costumes

make the dancers glow in the dark. Men will also dance in the piece, but

they will wear all black blending them into the dark lights. The men will

lift the girls into the air creating a flying illusion.

"The inspiration

for my choreography came from a dream," Davis said. "I wanted

to make the girls look like they are flying." JR graduated from Sandy

Creek High School in 1998, and now is a senior at West Georgia University.

On Friday night

of the conference, the company will present a choreographed work by Karen

Schatten-Lock. Schatten-Lockís piece is choreographed to Christmas

music.

"The dance

is fun and happy," Maury said. "It is very technically difficult;

the dancers never stop jumping."

Karen Schatten-Lock

is currently the assistant director for Lion King on Broadway. Both choreographed

pieces will close the Thursday and Friday night shows.

"I think

closing both shows is an honor," Maury said. "Closing is reserved

for better companies or exciting pieces."

The students

of the Georgia Youth Ballet enjoy dancing in the two choreographed works

they are taking to SERBA.

"I enjoy

dancing in JR's piece because it is different from anything I have every

done, and I know it will create a good audience response," said Jordan

Worrall, a member of the Georgia Youth Ballet and a sophomore at McIntosh.

Laura Bangert,

another member of the Georgia Youth Ballet and a senior at Starrís

Mill, said, "I enjoy dancing in Schatten-Lock's piece because dancing

to Christmas music in Spring is really different."

The Georgia

Youth Ballet is currently dancing 10 or more hours a week t o prepare

for SERBA which they will participate in from April 18-21.

"The SERBA conference is exciting because it gives

our company an opportunity to be around other people that really appreciate

ballet," Bangert said.

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