Columbia City Ballet Opens Cinderella After a Year-Long Postponement -- Christina Xan Talks with Bonnie Boiter-Jolley

The Columbia City Ballet (CCB) is finally getting the chance to open Cinderella after having to cancel it last year due to COVID-19. Jasper got the chance to sit down with Cinderella herself, danced by Bonnie Boiter-Jolley, who has been with CCB for 10 years and is dancing her third season as principal dancer.

Jasper: Thanks for taking the time to chat with me about the show — I know you’re busy!

Boiter-Jolley: It’s no problem!

Jasper: So, this show was actually postponed, right? It was supposed to happen last year? 

Boiter-Jolley: Yeah, it was supposed to happen late March of last year (2020). We toured it to Florida, came home, had a performance in Columbia on Friday, the 13th and that was our last performance of the whole season. And last year, I was fairy godmother—our original Cinderella is a new mom, but I’ve been dancing all the principal roles this year because I’m the only principal in the company currently.

Jasper: Oh, I didn’t know that! I assume that’s just one of the many changes since COVID. And dancing in a mask! I can’t imagine — what’s that like? 

Boiter-Jolley: It is definitely a challenge. Dancing in a mask is not fun, I will certainly say that, but it is something that a lot of us have been working with since last year, as soon as we were cleared to get back into the studios. It doesn't make it any easier, but you do kind of get used to the feeling of having something strapped to your face. But it's not just a breathing issue. If you inhale sharply, it’ll get stuck in your mouth, and you don't have your usual full range of vision because the mask is cutting off everything below your eyes. There've been a couple of times that a mask has actually slipped up over people's eyes. It's a little frightening, but I think, honestly, most of us feel as though it's a small price to pay to be able to do what we love and continue to work at our passion. And we really want to protect, not just ourselves, but our coworkers, our families, everything.

Jasper: How has this affected rehearsal? 

Boiter-Jolley: So, we test every week. And we've actually been really, really lucky. Everyone has tested negative except for one false positive, and on that day, all rehearsals were cancelled and didn’t resume until we knew everyone was safe. We do our classes broken up into three different groups of people so that we're not all in one same group sweating and breathing together all day. It kind of gives us a little bit more space, so we feel like we have a little bit more room if we do need to pull our mask down on our face for just a second to get some water or to just catch a breath quickly. Partnering wise, we're trying to keep switching partners to a minimum when we can and trying to stay as closely quarantined amongst ourselves as possible.

Boiter-Jolley rehearses with guest artist Mark Krieger, coached by William Starrett

Jasper: And how long have y'all been rehearsing for Cinderella now? 

Boiter-Jolley: We started last week, which isn’t particularly normal, but this is a show we had practiced for last season. I personally started rehearsing my role on my own over our Christmas break, and I came back into the studio in January, and [artistic director] William Starrett worked with me some individually. But many dancers had a head start and were able to recall roles they’ve danced before. And, of course, we’ve been trying to get in as much dance as we can because people need it these days. We just did “Off the Wall” two weeks ago, last week we had “Body,” and we're also working on “The Beatles” ballet.

Jasper: That’s so exciting! And even more so, this is your first time ever doing Cinderella, right? 

Boiter-Jolley: Yes!

Jasper: You’ve danced so many roles—I’ve seen you in several! What do you think is unique about Cinderella? 

Boiter-Jolley: There's a lot of acting in this role as well as some pretty hard dancing. I'm finding the partnering stuff in this one kind of challenging because I have a lot that's new to me. I'm actually learning some new bodily vocabulary—learning some new steps and new things that I haven't really been able to do before, I've never really tried before, or never been asked to do. I'm getting to push my boundaries, if you will, as far as what I am capable of. I've always been kind of a solo dancer, and that's just been my strength, to go out there and do my thing, but I'm going to get to carry this ballet. I start from the first scene and go all the way to the last scene. I'm a little bit nervous, but I'm also really excited because this ballet is all about Cinderella finally getting her chance to go to the ball. And I kind of see it that way, that it's finally my chance to go to the ball.

Boiter-Jolley in Off the Wall - photo by Ashleigh Concannon

Jasper: You said this show is more acting heavy than others. What did you mean by that? 

Boiter-Jolley: Well, you know, there are the stepsisters and the stepmother, and they're kind of fun, I mean, they're mean, but goofy. And then Cinderella has to deal with them, she meets the prince and falls in love at first sight, and she’s on a path of self-discovery. So, it's kind of going back and forth between how I portray this sad girl and then how I transform into someone who will open themselves to love, who will accept it and become a princess…and all of that happens in a couple hours. So, to effectively communicate that to an audience is a challenge, and that's mostly my challenge in this coming week. I know all the steps, I know all the choreography, and this week, I'm really hoping to do a deep dive in character work to find out how I can bring this character to life.

Jasper: What does that look like for you? How do you do character work and make sure you're translating the ideas and emotions in your head into your movements? 

Boiter-Jolley: That's a great question, and it's going to be a little bit different this time around because we are masked, so it all has to be physical­­—there's going to be a lot of physicality. How does my body language read? If I turn a shoulder this way, point my fingers that way, what does it mean? I need to spend some time just myself thinking through each moment. I need to sit with the music in the studio on my own, dancing through things. When you stop thinking about the steps, then you can start thinking about what the character is, who that character is, you know? And then, likewise, once you stop having to think about the characters, you can just become that character.

Jasper: If you had to describe this show in only 3 words, what words would you choose? 

Boiter-Jolley: Romantic, whimsical, and inspiring.

Jasper: Oh, I love that! What do you think is inspiring about it? 

Boiter-Jolley: I think it gives you the sensation that anything is possible.

Jasper: For people who may only be familiar with the Disney story of Cinderella, what should they expect? You know, coming to this show, what will they see that's familiar and that's unfamiliar? 

Boiter-Jolley: Well, they're definitely going to see their favorite characters: Cinderella, the fairy godmother, the Prince, the stepmother, the stepsisters. But they're also going to see there's a whole horde of fairies from the traditional story that come to help the fairy godmother and bring her gifts that help her transform Cinderella into a princess at the ball. And I like to think these are just representations of things that Cinderella already has inside of her. You’ll see specific dances when the fairies give her gifts, and later on, she dances similar steps in her variation, so she kind of repeats the same steps that they did. I think that it's really showing that this is what was there all along, and they've just brought attention to it. Because you don't need a fairy godmother to make you a princess. You might just need a fairy godmother to let you be the princess you already are.

Jasper: I love that! Well, thank you again for talking to me. Good luck on the show! 

Boiter-Jolley: Thanks! I just hope that people do get a chance to come see it because we've all really been excited to try to bring this ballet to life for the past year.

Cinderella will open at the Koger Center this Friday the 26th at 7:30pm and continue Saturday the 27th with performances at both 3:00pm and 7:30pm. The Koger Center is taking several COVID-19 precautions including limited, spaced seating and the seating of patrons immediately upon arriving at the theatre. Tickets can be purchased here: https://itkt.choicecrm.net/templates/USCK/#/events

Two additional performances will be done at the Harbison Theatre at Midlands Technical College Friday, April 9th at 7:30pm and Saturday, April 10th at 3:00pm. The theatre will also be implementing precautions but says the show could be delayed. Tickets can be purchased here: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35980/production/1039663

—Christina Xan

(Full disclosure: Bonnie Boiter-Jolley is the daughter of Jasper Project executive director, Cindi Boiter.)

New Beatles Ballet from Columbia City Ballet Means NEW Choreography, Music, and Dance Experience

by Hallie Hayes

Soloist Abby McDowell rehearses for Beatles - The Ballet (photo Ashley Concannon)

In an original ballet conceived by Columbia City Ballet’s artistic director, William Starrett, one has the opportunity to relive, or to experience the ‘60s for the first time through the inspiration of one of the most famous bands of the century: The Beatles.

While the opportunity to experience the beautiful classics from Columbia City Ballet is often presented, Beatles The Ballet embraces a new experience, following The Beatles’ careers and impacting the audience through the social awareness that The Beatles presented decades ago.

The ballet features 40 classics from the band, all producing short form pieces which allows viewers to experience ballet and this prolific journey in a new way.  The Beatles create dialogue through their music- producing a cultural impact and still today, topics that they covered in the ‘60s make appearances in our conversations; this inspired Starrett.

Under the artistic direction of Starrett himself, 12 guest choreographers from all over the country have been brought in to help him with creating this production, including Sherry Horton, Carolina Lewis Jones, Racheal Leonard, James Atkinson and Jerry Opdenaker.   All 32 company members active with Columbia City Ballet will play a role in this production.  Starrett has also brought in two performers from Nashville, TN, who have toured internationally with a The Beatles impersonation group called Rain.

The Beatles, generations later, still play a substantial role on young listeners and Starrett acknowledges this, making this a show one for a wide-ranged audience.

The ‘60s loved The Beatles.  The ‘80s loved The Beatles.  Today, listeners love The Beatles.

In a recent interview with ABC News, Starrett explains the impact that putting the journey of this prolific band into a ballet can have: “Through the dance, the music can have more intensity and you can really see some of the lyrics.”

You’ve heard the lyrics.  You’ve sang the lyrics.  Come see the lyrics.  Come experience the lyrics.

Before the ballet, a ‘60s themed VIP reception will be held where Starrett will discuss the creation of the ballet.  Enjoy an open bar and travel back in time, as your best 60s attire is highly encouraged.

Beatles The Ballet will take place on Saturday, February 2nd at Kroger Center for the Arts with two performance: 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.  Tickets are available at www.krogercenterforthearts.com.

Columbia City Ballet Dancer Leonardo Victorino Reveals What it Takes to be Dracula

by Christina Xan

Victorino, as Dracula, with Principal Dancer Claire Richards in the role of Lucy Westenra

Based closely Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the Columbia City Ballet is putting on its annual performance of Dracula this weekend, a show they have been doing for more than two decades.

Last week, I was able to sit down with ballet dancer and company member Leonardo Victorino to talk about what it’s like to get into the role of Dracula, a role he has been playing at CCB for four years.

“I’ve been dancing for 11 years now,” said Victorino, adding that he was inspired by his parents to start dancing, “My parents are musicians, and I grew up in the arts conservatory.”

Victorino experimented with several art genres like painting, violin, and drama, before finally finding the art form that’s enchanted him for the past several years, ballet: “When I was 16, 17 years old I decided to start dancing,” Victorino said, “It was a passion I had but was scared to follow because of negative perceptions. Fortunately, I did it, and it’s the best thing I’ve done.”

When asked why ballet was the art form that spoke to him, he said, “I feel like with ballet, I was able to do all the art I had done in the past in one. I had the drama, the music, the art, and I got to keep moving and expressing myself.”

Though he started dancing seriously as a teenager, Victorino said he believes dance is something that has been inside him since he was born: “When I was a baby, and my mom put me on the bed, she saw me stretching out on the bed,” he paused and smiled, “She thought I looked like a ballet dancer.”

This passion built and built, and he was dancing in a company in Pennsylvania before finding CCB: “I came to Columbia in 2015 when I got offered the job here,” Victorino said, “I immediately started playing Dracula, which was both scary and a huge honor.”

Victorino talked with me about the detailed physical and emotional process it takes for him to get into the role of Dracula: “The moment everyone goes on stage, and I’m left alone, I start getting in the mood of Dracula. As soon as I sit in the chair to start doing my makeup, that’s the moment Leo is leaving, and Dracula is coming,” he shared, “I try to keep far from distractions during the show because the stage is a full-time job. I know I carry the name of the production.”

Furthermore, Victorino shares that he watches documentaries about Dracula as a character and about Bram Stoker as an author so that he can fully understand the mindset of the character: “I’ve learned that to be Dracula I have to feel pleasure in the pain,” he said, “I have to convert the natural in me to the opposite.”

 For Victorino, telling a story through dance is just as and even more important than telling it through words: “Telling a story through dance allows me to express myself without words. The words are kind of dangerous because sometimes you don’t know how to express through them,” he added, “I can express anything inside of me just by movements. I can put out positive and negative energy through my body.”

Victorino also shared with me his two favorite scenes to perform: “The death of Dracula is my favorite scene because of the process of bringing this tragic death to the audience,” he continues, “the second scene where I bite Lucy and she is becoming a vampire is also really fun because we have a very intricate and sensual dance.”

When asked what his goal for the show is Victorino said, “Everything that I’m feeling is important; the stage is the reality for me, and I want to bring this expression as real as I can to touch the audience,” he concluded, “Really, I just hope people come and that they have a good time. Oh, and if they want to see me after the show, I promise I won’t bite!”

To see Victorino and the rest of the production in Columbia City Ballet’s Dracula, get your tickets to attend either Friday, October 26th or Saturday, October 27th.

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REVIEW: Columbia City Ballet's Cleopatra featuring Ballerina Regina Willoughby's Retirement Performance

by Susan Lenz

Regina Willoughby taking her final bow for her performance in Cleopatra on March 24, 2018 (photo courtesy of Julia Gulia)

Last night, Ballerina Regina Willoughby couldn’t hold all the flowers presented at the conclusion of her farewell performance of Columbia City Ballet’s Cleopatra. She carefully laid those in her arms atop the mound of roses company dancers had placed at her feet. She gracefully stepped around the pile for one last bow. Artistic Director William Starrett addressed the standing ovation with words of praise for her long career and sparkling personality, and Mayor Stephen Benjamin presented the Key to the City. Many in the audience wiped away tears as the curtain was lowered. 

I hadn’t seen such an emotionally charged scene since Prima Ballerina Mariclare Miranda’s 2006 retirement performance of Giselle. Here in Columbia, the audience seems to know how to respond to the last show in a principal dancer’s life and to the talent they just witnessed. Regina Willoughby was certainly the star in the production. The title role was set on her in 2008 and reprised in 2010. I remember these evenings rather well.

Regina Willoughby was brilliant as Cleopatra in all three seasons, dancing as if she’d already found the Egyptian secrets of an ageless afterlife. Her blunt cropped coiffure by Brittany Mocase Luskin of Studio B at the Old Mill was again perfect. It is little wonder that Regina selected this production for her final appearance. Unfortunately, her Act I partner was not as convincing as past years when Robert Michalski (2008) and Peter Kozak (2010) danced the role of Julius Caesar. Also missing was the excitement and technical abilities seen when William Moore, Jr. danced the part of Ptolemy, Cleopatra’s scheming younger brother. Frankly, the male roles were lack luster until principal Bo Busby stepped onto the stage as Marc Antony. Then, the partnering seamlessly sizzled. Their pas de deux was the highlight of the evening and lived up to a performance worthy of the retirement hype.

Otherwise, much of the choreography was to be in unison or to feature corp de ballet dancers racing across the stage, one-after-the-other in a strong diagonal line. In these instances, it is too easy to see lack of synchronization. Much of the ballet appeared to need additional rehearsal time. The canned music was also problematic. It seemed to need a bit of professional mixing for smoother transitions from melody to melody.

Problems aside, the evening was a lovely way to celebrate a ballerina’s retirement. Columbia City Ballet and local audiences will undoubtedly miss Regina Willoughby but will happily welcome principal Claire Richards and newly appointed principal Bonnie Boiter-Jolley into leading ladies. As Cleopatra’s handmaidens, they complimented one another perfectly. I look forward to seeing them during the 2018-19 season’s productions of Dracula: Ballet with a Bite; The Nutcracker; Sleeping Beauty; and the world premier of Beatles: The Ballet.

My recent interview with Regina Willoughby included well wishes and fond memories from dancers who have moved away or retired. Since then, I’ve received a few more quotes.

Pat Miller Baker wrote: Only once in a blue moon does a ballerina like Regina come along. She made her mark in every role she danced and the memories of her portrayals along with her physicality and artistry shall remain in all of our minds and hearts forever. I have loved being her teacher, coach and friend.  (Pat Miller elegantly appeared in last night’s production as Calpurnia, Wife of Caesar, a character role demanding exquisite dramatic acting.)

Journy Wilkes-Davis wrote: Some of the first big roles in my career I danced with Regina and it was her confident experience that allowed me to grow as a partner. She is a daredevil in the studio and onstage and the intensity she brings to every role pushed me to take risks as a partner where I had previously would have played it safer. I have great memories of dancing Arthur opposite her Lucy in Dracula or Romeo to her Juliet where it was inspiring to match the commitment she brought to her character and build a believable story for the audience. She taught by example how to throw caution to the wind and live in the moment onstage, a gift I will carry with me the rest of my career.

William Moore, Jr. wrote: I will start off by saying that it was a pleasure sharing the stage with Regina for several years! Notably our performance of Cleopatra was an unforgettable process and I am honored that I had that awesome opportunity early in my career. Love Regina dearly and I wish her the best in her retirement!
Love, William Moore Jr, former dancer, current music producer

CityBallet presents Beauty and the Beast

Columbia City Ballet invites you to be their guest as they grace the Koger Center stage with its production of Beauty & The Beast, for two spellbinding performances only.

This production features choreography from Executive Director, William Starrett and music composed by Léon Fyodorovich Minkus and will be held on Saturday, March 18 at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at the Koger Center for the Arts.

A love story perfect for ages 9-90, Beauty & The Beast is a captivating fairytale as old as time that blends magic with artistry. The dancers of Columbia City Ballet couple beautiful lines and riveting stage presence to tell a classic tale where love conquers all.

Over 80 local children from the midlands area are incorporated throughout the performance. This musical and romantic fantasy creates a love story, where a frightening beast and a beautiful woman fall for each other despite their differences.

First performed in the Spring of 1991 as a Koger Center box office sell out, Columbia City Ballet brings a newly updated and revived Beauty and the Beast to the stage just in time for the classic Disney film to hit theatres.

Costume Designer, Alexis Doktor has crafted a one of a kind Belle gown to debut in the performance. The production will also feature enchanting medieval sets including the mysterious castle nestled in old France. Columbia City Ballet invites you be their guest for an evening of magic and excitement for this captivating performance of Beauty & The Beast at the Koger Center for the Arts. For more information and tickets, visit www.kogercenterforthearts.com or call the box offices at 803-251-2222. Military and student discounts available at the box office or Koger Center kiosk.

In Jasper Vol. 3, No. 4: Ashley Concannon - Through The Dancer's Eyes

"Any given day finds 25-year-old Ashley Concannon crouching in the corner of the Columbia City Ballet studios between rehearsals. Usually she is sewing ribbons onto a pair of pointe shoes, taping her toes, stretching, exercising, or completing one of the many tasks demanded of her by her profession, but when she can find the time she sneaks behind the lens of her Canon Rebel T3i to capture a glimpse of life in the dance studio from another artistic perspective--that of a photographer. ..." - Bonnie Boiter-Jolley For the full article and photos, check out page 46 of the magazine below: