Podcast Episodes

Episode 118: Keith & Kathy Thibodeaux [Global Impact – Part Eight]

November 16, 2023November 17, 2023 by Rachel Caldwell

What is the impact of the arts around the world? During this mini-series, we are diving into conversations focused on the global impact of the arts. I am honored to have Keith and Kathy Thibodeaux joining me for part eight of this series! Keith and Kathy are the Founders and Directors of Ballet Magnificat!, an arts organization dedicated to presenting the good news of Jesus Christ to the whole world.

Kathy was born in Memphis, TN, but trained and has lived in Jackson, MS, most of her life. She went on to become one of the first contracted dancers for the Jackson Ballet Company (Ballet Mississippi) under the direction of Thalia Mara, dancing as principal until 1986. In 1982, Kathy was awarded a silver medal for her performance at the II USA International Ballet Competition (IBC), where she premiered her solo piece, “We Shall Behold Him.” Her desire to use her God-given talent of dance to share her faith in Jesus Christ led Kathy to resign from Ballet Mississippi and found her own company, Ballet Magnificat!, in 1986.

Keith is the former child entertainer best known as “Little Ricky” on the I Love Lucy television series and Johnny Paul Jason on The Andy Griffith Show. He was a drummer for the rock band David and the Giants which later became a groundbreaking Christian rock band, with Keith becoming a Christian in 1974. Keith shares about the dramatic life transformation he experienced–from hitting rock bottom to discovering fullness of life in Jesus.

Together, Keith and Kathy have taken steps of faith, trusting God along their adventurous journey! Since founding Ballet Magnificat! in 1986, the organization has grown to include a Trainee Program, a School of the Arts, and most recently Ballet Magnificat! Brazil. I loved hearing about some of the pivotal moments for Keith and Kathy, lessons they’ve learned in leadership, and how God has sustained them over the years. We also chat about the impact of dance across cultures. Get ready to be inspired by their incredible journey of faith!

You can listen to the show HERE, and you can be sure not to miss a Creative Impact conversation by subscribing through your favorite podcast app (ie. Apple Podcasts, Spotify). We are so grateful to have you as a part of the Creative Impact community and would love it if you would share the show with your friends!

About Keith:

Keith Thibodeaux, Executive Director of Ballet Magnificat! since 1993, first came to national attention as the drum-playing son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz on the now classic I Love Lucy show. Hailed as a child prodigy, Keith started drumming at the age of two in Lafayette, LA. His abilities led him to a national tour, a starring role as “Little Ricky Ricardo,” and various acting stints on television, including on The Andy Griffith Show, Route 66, The Shirley Temple Playhouse, Hazel, and many more. While attending the University of Louisiana in Lafayette, Keith joined and recorded with the then mainstream rock band, “David and the Giants.”

Keith left the group after several years, but following his (and fellow band members) Christian conversion, the band regrouped under the same name and went on to become one of the nation’s top contemporary Christian music groups. As a drummer, singer, and songwriter for the Dove nominated “David and the Giants,” Keith toured extensively for 10 years in the United States, Canada, Jamaica, and England, recording 9 albums before leaving the group in 1989 to pursue other interests. Since 2016 David and the Giants has produced 3 additional albums: 40th Anniversary, Still Rockin’, and What Are You Waiting For? Keith has been featured in such publications as Newsweek, People, Saturday Evening Post, Modern Drummer, CCM, and Classic Drummer Magazine. He has also been a guest on NBC’s The Today Show, Entertainment Tonight, CBS’s Good Morning America, and The O’Reilly Show.

In January of 1991, he joined his wife Kathy on the road with Ballet Magnificat! and in 1993, Keith became Executive Director. In addition to his current responsibilities at Ballet Magnificat!, Keith still finds time for drums and recording. Keith’s book, Life After Lucy, tells the story of his life as Little Ricky on the I Love Lucy show, and subsequent encounter with Jesus Christ as Savior.

Keith and Kathy have one daughter, Tara, who is a dancer and choreographer and is married to Bryce Drew, former player in the NBA and former head basketball coach at Valparaiso and Vanderbilt University.

About Kathy:

Kathy Thibodeaux began her dance training at the age of six with the Jackson Ballet School under the direction of Albia Kavan and Rex Cooper. When the Jackson Ballet Company turned professional in 1978, Kathy was one of the first dancers to be contracted. Soon after being a contracted dancer, Kathy soared to the highest levels of the company, becoming a Principal Dancer, a position she held successfully until 1986.

During her tenure with the Jackson Ballet (later Ballet Mississippi), she appeared as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, the Pigtail Girl in Graduation Ball, Odette in Swan Lake – Act II, Taglioni in Pas de Quatre, and had leading roles in Les Sylphides and La Bayadere – Act II. She has danced principal roles in John Butler’s Othello, Todd Bolendar’s Stillpoint, Jean-Paul Comelin’s Daughter of Morning, and William Christensen’s Bravura, as well as such traditional grand pas de deux as Don Quixote, Le Corsaire, and Raymonda.

In 1982, Kathy was awarded a silver medal for her performance at the II USA International Ballet Competition (IBC), where she premiered her solo piece, “We Shall Behold Him.” She was featured in the 90-minute ABC/PBS documentary, “To Dance for Gold,” which documented her progress through the II USA IBC and her silver medal win. She has been a guest instructor at several of the USA International Ballet Competitions and has performed for their Gala in Jackson, Mississippi.

Her desire to use her God-given talent of dance to share her faith in Jesus Christ led Kathy to resign from Ballet Mississippi and found her own company, Ballet Magnificat!, in 1986.

Through the creation of Ballet Magnificat, Kathy has performed many ensemble, solo, and principal roles, as well as choreographed several works for the company, including Creation (1987), Regathering (1988), Light Eternal (1989), Joy (1989), Thy Kingdom Come (1989), A Christmas Festival (1991), Praise Magnificat (1992), Sanctuary (1992), sections of Savior (1996), Unveiled Hope (1997), Freedom (2002), A Christmas Dream (2006) sans the “Battle Scene”, and sections of Snow Queen (2011).

In 2006, Kathy authored a children’s book based on the ballet A Christmas Dream which she choreographed in honor of Ballet Magnificat!’s 20 anniversary.

In 1983, “Kathy Thibodeaux Day” was proclaimed by order of Mississippi Governor William Winter, a commendation by Mississippi Governor Ray Mabus was issued in 1989, and a resolution commending Kathy was given by the Alabama Senate in 1998. In 2008, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, along with Peavey Music Founder Hartley Peavey, presented Kathy with the annual Hartley D. Peavey Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence.

In February 2017, Kathy and Keith pioneered Ballet Magnificat! Brazil, a professional trainee program and performance company headquartered in Curitiba, Brazil. Later in 2017 Kathy transitioned from full time touring with the Alpha Company to oversee more of the day-to-day operations of the companies, Trainee Program and School of the Arts in the Jackson, MS office. She and Keith travel to Brazil several times each year to direct and build the Ballet Magnificat! Brazil program.

Kathy’s passion for the Lord is so evident and she pours herself into serving God and His people through praising Him with the dance. She feels very grateful to be living this life of service and working with her husband, Keith Thibodeaux. Kathy and Keith have one daughter, Tara Drew, a dancer, teacher, and choreographer, who is married to Bryce Drew, former player in the NBA and former head basketball coach at Valparaiso and Vanderbilt University. Tara trained at Ballet Magnificat!, performed with the company for several years, and has set many works on the companies including The Arrival and Stratagem. Tara and Bryce Drew have one son, Bryson.

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