THE DREAM THAT STARTED IT ALL
How Two Women Built a Ballet Legacy in a Small Midwestern City
Great legacies often begin with a single belief: that something extraordinary can take root in the most unexpected places.
In 1965, Suanne Ferguson and Jane Bingham Fawcett — two visionary women with complementary strengths — co-founded the Canton Civic Ballet. At a time when Canton was known more for Friday night lights than classical arts, they dared to imagine a ballet school with the rigor, discipline, and artistic ambition of those in major metropolitan centers.
Suanne Ferguson, 1972
Suanne earned her Bachelor of Science from Case Western Reserve University, brought pedagogical excellence and a deep understanding of classical technique. Jane — who passed away in 2018 — brought civic leadership, organizational vision, and an unshakable belief that Canton deserved world-class training. Her family later shared that co-founding Canton Civic Ballet was among her proudest accomplishments.
Their mission was bold for its era:
to prove that exceptional talent could flourish anywhere — even in a small Midwestern city — and that young dancers in Stark County deserved access to opportunities typically found in America’s cultural capitals.
Avondale School of Ballet and Dance Arts, which was established in 1963, evolved in 1965 into the Canton Civic Ballet, located on Fulton Road. The newly established ballet company soon became a hub of artistic energy.
Key milestones followed: The Nutcracker premiered locally in 1969; enrollment exceeded 250 students by 1971; and in the same year, the Ballet appointed Artistic Director John Begg, a former student of the School of American Ballet and a former professional dancer with Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.
At the time, “Civic Ballets” were community-based pre-professional companies — local organizations that gave serious dancers the chance to train and perform at a high level before larger regional and national companies became common in the United States.
Canton’s Civic Ballet stood proudly among them — proving that world-class artistry can emerge from any community willing to nurture it.
INTRODUCING THE CANTON BALLET ALUMNI STORY SERIES
Celebrating 60 Years of Artistry, Impact & Lifelong Influence
This anniversary year marks the launch of the Canton Ballet Alumni Story Series — a curated collection of personal narratives, essays and short stories from dancers whose careers span international stages, Broadway houses, and leadership around the globe.
These stories reflect resilience, artistry, and the influence of early training.
They reflect who we are — past, present, and future.
This is our legacy.
This is The Dream That Started It All.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
BILL ANTHONY
From Cleveland to Canton to Copenhagen – A Life in Motion, Bill Anthony
When Bill Anthony was fourteen, he decided to take ballet seriously — a bold choice for a student at an all-boys school, St. Edward’s in Lakewood, Ohio. “It was the physical challenge that really appealed to me,” he recalls. “But I realized something: when I’m an old man, I can still write or be a journalist. I can’t be a dancer when I’m an old man. So, I decided to dance.”That decision would set in motion a remarkable career — one that began in Ohio and eventually spanned continents, opera houses, and decades of choreography and teaching.
Beginnings in Cleveland and Canton
Anthony’s early training began in Cleveland with John Begg, Alex Martin, and Susan McGuire. “Alex taught in Shaker Heights and downtown, and John taught at Karamu House,” he remembers. “He invited me to take class there.”
Suanne Ferguson had arranged with the Ballet Guild of Cleveland to share a program with her fledgling company. It took place in a high school auditorium in North Canton. “Because I had worked in a children’s theater before taking ballet classes, I knew a very little bit about lighting. The Ballet Guild of Cleveland had no budget for a professional lighting designer, so John asked me to do the lights for a ballet he had choreographed.”
“That’s when I met Suanne,” he says. “She was serious — very serious — but such a good teacher. And a good choreographer.”
At age nineteen, while studying ballet at the University of Cincinnati under Dame Alicia Markova, James Truitte, and Oleg Sabline, Bill suffered a major setback — detached retinas that forced him to withdraw. “It was devastating,” he says quietly. “I had to go home to Cleveland and figure out what to do next. But I wasn’t ready to give up.” He returned to the university for his sophomore year but then headed for New York City.
Bill made a daring move: he wrote to the School of American Ballet in New York and asked to audition. “I was naïve,” he laughs. “I just wrote them a letter and said, ‘I’d like to audition.’ To my surprise, they invited me.”
He found himself alone in a studio with three women speaking Russian. One of them turned out to be Antonina Tumkovsky, one of the world’s great ballet teachers. Bill says, “I had lifted my leg to the side, and she grabbed it and continued to lift it well beyond ninety degrees. We were both amazed!”
When he joined the summer session, he found himself surrounded by legendary teachers—Stanley Williams, Muriel Stewart, and Richard Rapp — and a new level of intensity. One morning, he remembers that Peter Martins, Edward Villella, and Anthony Blum all came to take Stanley Williams’ class. Another day, Rudolf Nureyev walked in. “That was the atmosphere — electric, inspiring, a whole world of artistry. My favorite memory was of pas de deux class with Stanley. One time, we were doing a very fast, tricky move, and Stanley — who didn’t dispense compliments very often — wagged his finger at me and said in a heavy Danish accent, ‘Good, boy. Good.’ That was all I needed. It made me believe I could do this.”
After his New York experience, he returned as a dancer to Canton Civic Ballet, then under the direction of Artistic Director, John Begg.
L to R: Rhonda (Steffens) Seaman, John Begg, Bill Anthony
Anthony commuted from Cleveland to Canton on weekends for several years, performing and learning with Begg and other teachers. “It was a small company, but everyone worked hard. I met so many people who became lifelong friends — Jane Fawcett, her daughter Lisa, and a young apprentice named Julie Mizer, who played a Cookie Child in John Begg’s production of Hansel and Gretel. She was a smart little girl and so full of life. Canton Civic Ballet was full of people who believed in what they were doing.”
Building a Career on Both Sides of the Atlantic
After leaving Canton, Bill joined Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre during the directorship of John Gilpin, and later San Diego Ballet, where he spent three years performing and assisting directors Keith Martin and John Hart. But when the company ran into financial trouble, he faced another crossroads.
“I was driving a taxi cab in San Diego to survive,” he says, smiling at the memory. “That was humbling — but I wasn’t done dancing.”
When he heard that John Begg was starting a new company in Cleveland, Bill returned home to help. “We were just getting started when John passed away,” he says. “It was heartbreaking. I remember thinking, ‘What now?’ But I packed my bags and went to Europe. I wasn’t ready to give up.”
Rene Street & Bill Anthony
That leap led to an extraordinary new chapter. In 1982, he joined the Wiesbaden State Theatre Ballet in Germany, later dancing in Mannheim and eventually becoming Artistic Director of the Ballet at the Stadttheater Giessen. He studied pedagogy at the State College for Music and the Performing Arts in Frankfurt, earning a diploma in the Vaganova Method, and eventually served as Chief Choreographer and Opera Director for the Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck, Austria.
“I learned to blend what I’d absorbed in America — the freedom, the musicality — with the structure of the Vaganova technique,” he explains. “It’s the best of both worlds. That balance, I think, began in Canton.”
Returning to Words
After more than a decade in Europe’s theaters, Bill decided to retire from the stage and return to another love — writing. “When I left the theater, I finally had time to do what I’d planned as a teenager,” he says. “I started writing about dance.”
Bill Anthony and his daughter Amelia
Bill has authored more than 100 essays and reviews that have appeared in publications such as Dancing Times, Dance Europe, Pointe Magazine, and Ballet International. He also worked in editorial documentation for the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea in Copenhagen, where he served as Executive Editor.
Today, he and his wife live in Denmark, where he continues to write, teach, and consult for ballet companies across Europe and the United States. His daughter, now thirty-one, was married this summer in Italy on the Ionian Islands — “the same place they filmed White Lotus,” he adds with a grin.
Looking Back
When asked what Canton Ballet means to him now, Bill’s voice softens. “Canton was where it all began. It gave me discipline, confidence, and a sense of belonging. Suanne, John, Jane — they all believed in something bigger than themselves. That spirit stayed with me everywhere I went.”
And for today’s young dancers, his advice is simple:
“Don’t give up. You’ll fall, you’ll get hurt, you’ll drive a taxi or do something completely unrelated for a while — but if you love it, keep going. Every detour teaches you something. Every fall is just another rehearsal for getting back up.”
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
DONNIE & MARYLOU MILLER
From Canton’s Early Stages to Ballet, Broadway & Beyond
Don Steffy-Miller’s love for the stage began in childhood at St. Peter’s Elementary School in downtown Canton. From school plays to Lehman High productions to the Players Guild, he discovered early that performing arts were his home.
At Canton Civic Ballet, Don met fellow dancer Marylou Hume. Their partnership — first artistic, then personal — became one of the Ballet’s most cherished stories. They married, raised a daughter, and gained a reputation as Canton Ballet’s first “love couple.”
Marylou Hume & Don Steffy-Miller, Hansel and Gretel
Under Suanne Ferguson and John Begg, they originated leading roles in Hansel and Gretel, Peter and the Wolf, and Amahl and the Night Visitors. These experiences built the technical foundation and stagecraft that shaped their careers.
As young artists, they made a pact: They would audition together, and they would only accept contracts that hired them both. Only one opportunity ever fell through because of that choice.
Don Steffy-Miller & Marylou Hume
After college, they moved to New York City, where Don earned a scholarship to study at American Ballet Theatre. Their careers took them through multiple professional ballet companies, including Basel Ballet (Switzerland), Birmingham Ballet, Ohio Ballet, and Cincinnati Ballet.
They later transitioned to musical theatre — most notably appearing on Broadway in the original 1982 production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Don then joined the Tony Award–winning 1983 revival of On Your Toes, starring prima ballerina Natalia Makarova.
Their regional theatre credits include Camelot, West Side Story, Oklahoma!, South Pacific, The King and I, and Hello, Dolly! with the late, great Betty White.
Marylou became a distinguished teacher and School Director of Montgomery Ballet School, training hundreds of dancers who have gone on to major companies and elite programs. She now leads Lebanon Ballet School in Indiana. Don continued performing and later moved into arts leadership — today serving as Executive Director of Indianapolis Ballet.
Marylou Hume & Don Steffy-Miller
Through the Miller Family Foundation for Theatre and Dance, they continue to invest in Canton Ballet’s mission. “Canton Ballet shaped our life,” Don says. “It’s where Marylou and I found each other. It’s where everything began.”
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
ASHANTI MURDOCK ASH
From Canton to KIPP Indy – Leadership, Legacy & Representation
Ashanti Murdock began dancing at age three. Growing up with athletic brothers, she wanted something uniquely her own — something that belonged only to her. Ballet became that place: structured, expressive, and grounding.
“In our home, quitting wasn’t an option,” she says. “The discipline I learned through dance became the foundation for everything — from school to work to motherhood.”
The Nutcracker 2005
Her years at Canton Ballet were rich with performance, personal growth, and moments of connection. A standout memory was dancing in CB Swings in 2006, choreographed by Angelo and performed with a live swing band — a quintessential Canton Ballet experience: bold, creative, and collaborative.
Another defining moment came during Dracula, when she shared the stage with her father, who appeared as a coffin carrier. That moment, she says, meant everything.
Being the only dancer of color in many spaces presented challenges — until Cuban-born master teacher Laura Alonso arrived. “She saw me,” Ashanti recalls. “She understood what it meant to be different.”
Ashanti also credits Miss Jennifer and Mr. Angelo as transformative mentors whose leadership, generosity, and steady presence shaped her as both an artist and a young woman.
At Ohio University, she double-majored in Dance Education & Performance and Public Relations. A major injury shifted her toward arts leadership, eventually leading her to Teach For America, graduate school, and later into educational leadership.
Today, Ashanti serves as Chief People Officer for KIPP Indy Public Schools, leading talent strategy, racial equity, performance management, and the culture that supports hundreds of educators. She also serves on the Boards of Directors for Indianapolis Ballet and the Indianapolis School of Ballet, chairing key committees and collaborating with fellow Canton Ballet alumnus Don Steffy.
Tawatha Murdock and Ashanti Murdock Ash recently attended Canton Ballet’s 2025 performance of The Nutcracker.
LEGACY IN MOTION
The Canton Ballet Alumni Story Series honors the people who have carried our mission into the world — and those who continue to shape it today.
The dream Suanne and Jane planted in 1965 is not only alive —
it is thriving in every dancer who carries it forward.
