Above, from left: Sarah Ballard (Izard County NADT Dance Academy), Delaney Nesbitt (Mountain View NADT Dance Academy), Kathryn Johnson (Batesville NADT Dance Academy), Cindy Hubberd (NADT Dance Academy founder), and Jadyn Stewart (Mountain View NADT Dance Academy).
Cindy Hubberd is celebrating her 50th year of teaching dance in the Ozarks.
She opened her Mountain View Academy in the fall of 1976 in a converted chicken house owned by Clyde Horton. Her daughter, Hollie, was 9 months old at the time.
In 1978, she and her husband, Richard, built a home on Maple Drive with a dance studio attached, which is still in use today.
After the birth of her son, Fred, in 1980, Hubberd launched her Batesville studio in 1982. That location is now at the corner of Broad and Main streets. In 1993, she opened her Izard County location, which is in Melbourne on School Street behind Bearkatz Academy. Most recently, in 2023, she opened a second location in Mountain View at 102 Blanchard Ave.
In 1994, Hubberd co-founded the nonprofit North Arkansas Dance Theater with colleague Patrick Crommett. The organization provides extensive training and performance opportunities at no cost for dedicated students.
In 2004, the troupe launched its production of The Nutcracker, which is now entering its 21st season. The annual ballet gives trained dancers—as well as members of the public—a chance to perform in the holiday classic.
A public casting call for this year’s production is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 16, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Batesville location. No dance experience is required. The cast typically includes more than 100 performers from five counties.
Hubberd trained in Houston and New York City before attending the Royal Ballet School in London. She danced professionally with the Houston Ballet and the Frankfurt Ballet in Germany, where she met her husband, a Stone County native. The couple married in 1973.
Cindy Hubberd holding her daughter, Hollie, at a 1979 recital.
Their granddaughter, Havyn, danced at the Mountain View studio throughout her school years and remains on staff as a teacher and coach. She won numerous awards during her competitive years, including multiple first-place finishes in the most advanced division.
Richard Hubberd, a builder and city councilman, died in 2015. Cindy later served in his council seat for two years.
For more information about The Nutcracker or the studio, call 866-468-6238 or visit their Facebook and Instagram pages.
Images provided by Cindy Hubberd and NADT
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