Pat George Mitchell

By P.A. Geddie

Arts!Longview holds their first Honors Gala this month at the Longview Community Center, a historic building with art deco features. The classic Hollywood glamour-designed event comes with valet parking, a red carpet entrance, live music, cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and champagne. Taking center stage is Pat George Mitchell as the recipient of Arts!Longviews first Lifetime Achievement Award for Artistic Excellence.

“The Honors Gala is an opportunity for Arts!Longview to highlight and recognize the accomplishments of individuals like Pat George Mitchell, who have made outstanding contributions to the Longview artistic community,” Arts!Longview Executive Director Christina Cavazos says. “Her work over the past 50 years exemplifies the mission of Arts!Longview.”

Arts!Longview is a nonprofit organization that manages the 343-acre state-designated Longview Cultural District with a mission to spark a love of the arts, history and culture for the community. Mitchell founded the Longview Ballet Theatre in the district in 1972 and for 50 years she taught thousands of ballet students and brought incredible ballet productions to East Texas. Many of Mitchell’s alums went on to prestigious programs including New York City Ballet, School of American Ballet, the Martha Graham School of Modern Dance, the San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Joffrey Ballet School, American Ballet Theatre, North Carolina School of the Arts, Boston Ballet, Texas Ballet Theatre, and the Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia. Perhaps her most famous student is Beckanne Sisk, who started with Mitchell at the age of five. Sisk went on to perform with Ballet West and was featured in the TV show, Breaking Pointe. She often visits her hometown and her first teacher and sometimes performs for the community. She is now living back in Texas and working with the Houston Ballet.

ovett o . R ufu S L

by P hoto

Pat George Mitchell (above) founded the Longview Ballet Theatre 50 years ago and is honored by Arts!Longview this month. Mitchell and former student Beckanne Sisk (opposite top) catch up as often as possible. Wide-eyed young dance students in 2012 admire memorabilia and success stories of the Longview Ballet along the walls of the Studio for Creative Arts.

During the Longview Ballet Theatre’s 50 years, Mitchell led 50 ballet productions. She choreographed more than 150 ballets and taught more than 1,000 dance students in her career. She also brought professional guest artists from New York, Miami, Salt Lake City and more to the local stage in Longview.

She is quoted as saying, “When you dance, you are living a moment of complete freedom, of focusing on nothing other than the movement, the breathing and the energy. And, if you allow it, embrace it — it can become a way of life, a different way of looking at the world, viewing life as a beautifully choreographed dance as opposed to a random series of events.”

After 50 years of helping little girls see the world in a beautiful way, Mitchell directed her last performance in March 2022 and held her final class last May. As of yet, no one else has come forward to continue the program, so the fate of the Longview Ballet Theatre and new ballerina hopefuls is unknown.

“I feel my old job is done here, and I am about to embark on what my new job might be,” Mitchell says. “However, I do know I have given everything I have to develop a dream and because of that, I am okay. This life of ours just simply goes by too quickly when you have fallen in love with the music of your heart and the dance of your life.”

Mitchell recently released a book detailing her time with the Longview Ballet. 50 Years for an Oscar (de la Renta, that is): The Dance of My Life, A Memoir, is available on Amazon. The book recounts her journey as a classical ballet teacher in rural East Texas. It is filled with memories, photos, moving stories, and the passion, heartache, and uncompromising drive it takes to become a dancer. It is the story of Mitchell’s humanitarian need to teach and help others live their dreams.

The Arts!Longview Honors Gala takes place at 6:30 p.m. January 28 in the 259-seat auditorium at the Longview Community Center. Formal attire is requested. Tickets are $100. Go to www. artslongview.org for more information and to purchase tickets or call (903) 7381865.