Mary Celeste Geiger founded the Michigan Classic Ballet Company (MCBC) in 1989.
In 1992, MCBC joined Regional Dance America/Mid States, a national association
founded to promote the artistic development of dance companies in five regional
organizations: Pacific, Southwest, Mid States, Northeast and Southeast. After only
three years as a member, MCBC was elevated to Honor Status, the highest
achievement given by this national organization.

Michigan Classic Ballet Company has, in its history, collaborated with the Birmingham-
Bloomfield Symphony Orchestra for The Nutcracker performances along with MCBC’s
Season of Spring concerts that have included Peter and the Wolf and Carnival of the
Animals with WDIV’s newscaster Sherry Margolis as narrator. MCBC has also invited
critically acclaimed choreographers such as Maggie Bergeron, Robert Kelley, and
Michael Uthoff to set original works for the company. Each year MCBC participates in
the concert, Three’s Company, a collaborative performance with two other seasoned
dance companies in Ohio and Illinois. In 2002, Michigan Classic Ballet’s original piece,
Degas Impressions, choreographed by Mary C. Geiger, won the “Spirit of Degas
Award for Excellence” during an event sponsored by the Detroit Institute of Arts and
the Michigan Opera Theater.

Mary C. Geiger and the Board of Directors maintain the company’s role in metropolitan
Detroit as a provider of quality ballet productions, such as the full-length ballets:
Coppelia, Giselle, Les Sylphides and Cinderella. It utilizes these productions to
educate the public in the appreciation of the history and technique of classical ballet.
MCBC continues to reach out to the public through lecture demonstrations, such as:
"A Day with Alice" performed in 1997 and 1998 in various schools and communities;
the Dance History presentations performed at Smith Theatre in collaboration with the
Adult Learning Program; charity events such as the “Festival of Lights” and the DSO’s
“Cinderella Ball”; and "Nutcracker Knowledge," an educational outreach program
stemmed from the traditional holiday favorite The Nutcracker.
Artistic Director
Mary C. Geiger
Mary Celeste Geiger danced professionally for over ten years. She performed with
three major European companies, touring three continents, and culminating as
Principal Dancer with The Royal Ballet of Flanders (Antwerpen, Belgium). As Principal
Dancer, she performed Balanchine roles, many of the classics, and contemporary
roles such as Carmina Burana and La Peri which was created especially for her by
John Butler.

Under the tutelage of Sandra Severo, she danced extensively with the Detroit
Symphony Orchestra in annual productions of The Nutcracker and the Kresge
Concert Series. Mrs. Geiger received the American Ballet Ford Foundation
Scholarship at the young age of twelve. At nineteen, she was awarded scholarships to
the American Ballet Theatre School (New York, NY), the Vaganova School (Russia)
and the John Cranko School (Germany), the latter of which she attended.

Mary Celeste Geiger is the director of her own school, the Geiger Classic Ballet
Academy and is the Artistic Director of the Michigan Classic Ballet Company since its
inception in 1989.  Mrs. Geiger has given master classes at Western Michigan
University (Kalamazoo, MI), Interlochen Dance Academy (Interlochen, MI), Santa Cruz
Ballet Theatre (Soquel, CA), and Nyon and Vesoul (France). She has been a guest
choreographer and master teacher for regional ballet companies in Louisiana and
Georgia. It was said from the late Jurgen Schneider, former Ballet Master at the
American Ballet Theatre, "I have continued to admire her ability, dedication and
energy, as reflected in her own work as well as her students…which has distinguished
her from her peers."
Ballet Mistress
Melissa Scheck
Melissa Scheck began her studies at the Geiger Classic Ballet Academy at the age of
twelve.  As a member of the Michigan Classic Ballet Company, she danced lead roles
in The Nutcracker (Clara, Dew Drop Fairy, Sugar Plum Fairy) and Giselle (Queen of
the Willis, Peasant Pas de Deux).

Mrs. Scheck received a full scholarship to the Cleveland Ballet Summer Program. She
was engaged professionally with the Fort Wayne Ballet in their trainee program for
one year.

Since 1993 she has been Ballet Mistress for the Michigan Classic Ballet Company.
She was awarded the Montecello Award for her choreography, Natural Elements, at
Regional Dance America, and in 1999 she received her Masters Degree in Physical
Therapy from Oakland University.
THE COMPANY