THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 28, 1994 TAG: 9407270107
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SMITHFIELD LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines
TALK TO ALMOST any youngsters heavily involved in dance, and they will tell you that their life's ambition is to perform and/or teach - but there are exceptions.
Meredith Spivey is one of the exceptions. She is deep in dance - 12 hours a week at Southside Ballet - but she is not seeking a lifetime commitment.
``My ambition is to go to college, get married and have a nice family,'' said Meredith, 15. ``I haven't decided my major, but I will minor in dance.''
Meredith has been dancing since she was 3, and student-teaching creative dance for the past two years.
She usually joins her students in recitals, recently as ``daddy'' in ``Daddy's Little Girl.''
Meredith's mom, Patsy, a nurse, serves as her daughter's inspiration.
``She danced for 25 years, took from several teachers including Leslie,'' Meredith said, referring to Leslie McGinn, Southside's owner. ``She stopped in 1984 when my sister, Amanda, was born.
``I used to come with Mom when she came for lessons,'' Meredith said. ``That got me into it.''
Her sister is also a dance student at Southside.
The girls' father, Ronnie, is a nuclear physicist at the Surry Nuclear Power Plant. The family lives in Smithfield.
``Once I got a C in geometry,'' Meredith said. ``For punishment, my parents took me out of dance for a month. I was having a fit. I couldn't stand it.''
She dances because she loves it ``and because it keeps me in shape,'' Meredith said.
Swimming keeps her in shape for dancing.
Meredith was an all-star swimmer in 1993 with the Tidewater Swimming Association, and she has been a member of the Smithfield Swim Team for six years.
``It helps with my upper body muscles,'' she said.
Her other interests are many and varied.
The Isle of Wight Academy sophomore is a member of the school's chorus, Spanish Club and Pep Club.
She is a varsity cheerleader and treasurer of the school's Student Council Organization.
Meredith is also a member of the Youth, Music and Drama Team at Smithfield Baptist Church.
Earlier this year, she entered the Isle of Wight Academy Pageant, winding up as second runner-up and winning the title of Miss Congeniality.
Another school project meshed with her first love.
``I did a research paper on George Balanchine,'' Meredith said. ``It showed how he changed the technique of ballet all over the world. He realized that being thin and having long legs made you a better ballet dancer.''
McGinn describes Meredith as ``a beautiful dancer with a lot of potential.''
``She's never lost an ounce of her enthusiasm for dance over the years,'' McGinn said. ``She's always happy to be here and to perform. She's a pleasure.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by JOHN H. SHEALLY II
Meredith Spivey, 15, has been dancing since she was 3, and
student-teaching creative dance for the past two years. She spends
12 hours a week at Southside Ballet.
by CNB