We are heartbroken to share that Svetlana Vasily Kimbrough passed away in Shelby, NC on November 20, 2021.

Svetlana was born in Kaunas, Lithuania in 1937, to Jonas and Tatjana Babushkina Vasilauskas. Her parents were both in the performing arts--her father was a theatre producer and ballet dancer, and her mother was a prima ballerina in the Lithuanian State Ballet. Svetlana spent most of her early childhood in Germany, where her family escaped the communist threat from Russia, and then moved with her family to the United States in 1949, settling in Boston, MA.

Svetlana loved ballet from an early age, and began training with her mother (who later became a renowned ballet teacher in the US). She continued her studies in New York City, going on to have an extensive career as a ballerina, and performing in all phases of the theatre on Broadway and in numerous touring companies in the US and abroad. A highlight of this period for Svetlana was performing alongside Ginger Rogers in the production Tovarich, which opened 1963 at the Broadway Theatre in New York City and ran for 264 performances, as well as touring around the country.

While performing in New York, Svetlana met and loved actor/singer/dancer Fred Kimbrough--they were married in 1965. They had two children, Tatiana and Ian, and moved to Cape Cod, MA in 1972. There, Svetlana became the head of the Svetlana Vasily School of dance in Brockton, MA and with Fred, led the Dance Department at the Cape Cod Conservatory of Music and Dance. At the same time, Svetlana was a dedicated mother. Skillfully balancing her work and home life, some of her favorite activities were cooking delicious European cuisine, buying the perfect gift for loved ones, and spending time on the beach with her children.

After seven years, they returned to Fred's hometown of Gilbertown, AL, with the mission of bringing the performing arts to underserved youth in the rural South. In 1980, they co-founded the Ballet and Theatre Arts School (BTAS) and the non-profit organization, the Ballet and Theatre Arts Performing Companies (BTAPC). Through these organizations, they offered classes in dance, voice, and acting, and Svetlana and Fred also taught for free in local public schools. Bringing years of Broadway experience to this small community, the BTAPC presented several major plays and musicals each year, giving students the opportunity to study and perform in professional caliber productions. Indeed, audiences compared their productions favorably with shows seen in New York and with touring companies, and many of their students went on to professional careers in the performing arts. For 36 years at BTAS and BTAPC, Svetlana taught with Fred and served as Artistic Director, with additional roles as Hair Stylist, Makeup Artist, Costume Designer (often sewing dozens of stunning garments by hand) and serving in all aspects of stagecraft. The couple retired and moved to Shelby, NC in 2016.

Svetlana is survived by her loving family: husband, Fred Kimbrough, children, Tatiana Kimbrough Sewell and Ian F. Kimbrough, sister-in-law Dorothy Kimbrough, and grand-daughter Lexi Sewell.

A celebration of life will take place via Zoom in late December.