REVIEW: Columbia Classical Ballet's LifeChance 2018 - The Show Must Go On by Susan Lenz

Less than thirty-six hours before the Koger Center curtain went up, Columbia Classical Ballet’s Artistic Director Radenko Pavlovich received a text message that changed the entire ballet gala. Pavlovich’s protege and Washington Ballet principal dancer, Brooklyn Mack would not be able to make the trip. The program was already printed listing three numbers in which he would appear. This news came on the heels of another unfortunate cancellation. An injury prevented two Pennsylvania Ballet dancers from bringing the 3rd Act Pas de Deux from Don Quixote, always a big crowd pleasing piece, to the stage. 

What to do? The show must go on!

The show did go on and beautifully so. As promised, the evening was a delightful mix of contemporary and classical featuring guest principal and soloist dancers from Boston Ballet, Washington Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance of Chicago, and Pennsylvania Ballet. The audience was mesmerized though slightly confused by the shifted program. Too many were consulting the line-up using illumination from their cell phones. (This is a BIG no-no and the topic of a recent Dance Magazine article. http://www.dancemagazine.com/phones-during-performances-2522420426.html) Checking the program was totally unnecessary. Each piece was clearly announced over the public address system.

The evening started after a few, brief introductions including Kassy Alia, founder of Heroes in Blue. (http://heroesinblue.net.) Her local charity received some of the proceeds from the evening. She asked all the police officers in attendance to stand for a round of applause. For most, this was their first experience seeing dance. I knew one of the Forest Acres police officers. My husband and I ran into him and his well dressed wife at nearby Hunter-Gatherer before the show. He asked me what to expect. He imagined an evening of tiaras and short, pancake tutus. But, that’s only how the program started. 

Boston Ballet’s Patrick Leonard Yocum and Ji Young Chae dazzled in the Sleeping Beauty Wedding Pas de Deux. But before the first half ended with an ethereal rendition from Les Sylphide, the audience was treated to extraordinary diversity with Manuel Vignoulle and Rena Butler’s Black and White, Columbia Classical Ballet dancer Koyo Yanagishima’s athleticism in a variation from Diana and Actaeon, and Yanagishima’s choreography for two of his fellow company members.  Dancers appeared in itty-bitty costumes. Black and White should really have started with even less. (Long story short, I wish I could have seen the original, changing costumes. But this is the South, after all, not a place quite ready to witness an exploration in a mixed race couple’s relationship and gender equality through parted toplessness even if they progressively added clothing.) Finally, Rosalie Cirio was truly breathtaking in her perfect, long white romantic tutu and expertly partnered by Paul Craig.

When the curtain rose to the cast of Columbia Classical Ballet’s dancers for Rhapsodic Variations, the audience was well aware that Brooklyn Mack, listed to begin the second half, was not in attendance. It really didn’t matter. Rick McCullough’s choreography perfectly suited our local company, the dancers expressed more emotion than I’ve seen in earlier productions, and I’d personally enjoy seeing the piece again.  I certainly could repeatedly watch 50/50, a steamy tango-in-pointe-shoes by Boston’s sultry Ashley Ellis and her handsome partner Matthew Slattery or Dueto danced by Arian Molina Soca and Dayesi Torriente from Pennsylvania Ballet.

What surprised me was seeing the Grand Pas de Deux from The Nutcracker as part of a gala so close after the holiday season. As soon as Tamako Miyazaki took the stage, I understood. She is the embodiment of the Sugar Plum Fairy, the type of dancer who makes the little-girl-heart in me remember why I love dance. Her smile transformed the entire Koger Center into an odyssey of enchantment. It didn’t hurt that her Washington Ballet partner, Rolando Sarabia looks like a matinee idol and lands his Tour en l'air with total bravado. (Tour en l'air is a movement in which a dancer jumps straight upward and completes at least one full revolution in the air before landing.) 

I was delighted to learn that Tamako Miyazaki was once a Columbia Classical Ballet company member. Opportunities here in Columbia assisted with the progression of her career. Opportunities were abound last night due to an unfortunate text message. Koyo Yanagishima’s Diana and Actaeon variation was a program addition. He danced Flames of Paris during the second half. More time on stage was allotted to our local talent. As Radenko Pavlovich put it, “I am raising the bar for quality in Columbia”.  His dancers are stepping up to meet the challenge and definitely held their own on a stage with world-class talent from across the country. 

Jasper Dance Writer Susan Lenz Weighs in on Which Nutcracker Ballet to See but Cautions that the Choice is Yours!

Both have snow, tiaras, and take a young Clara on a fairytale journey into the Land of Sweets with dancing variations and a final pas de deux. So, what are the differences? Which company's production should an informed audience member select?

Is that a Unicorn in Columbia City Ballet's Nutcracker?

My husband and I own a little frame shop. My sales counter is in front of a non-working fireplace with a mantel holding family pictures, including some of my dancing son. For years these images seemed to remind clients that ballet is part of my life. Every holiday season, clients excitedly tell me, "I'm going to The Nutcracker!" Of course I'm happy for them and ask, "Which production?" The answer is always the same. "The one at the Koger Center."

Further conversation reveals that most people in Columbia are aware that The Nutcracker comes to the Township Auditorium every Thanksgiving weekend. Some even know that this is the civic company.  (I wrote a review of last month's show at http://jasperproject.org/what-jasper-said/88xw7fa24pxcfdb5x77mxf5zyrkgxd). Most seem to know that The Nutcracker also comes to the Koger Center for three weekends in December, but they are totally unaware that two different, local professional ballet companies are putting on these shows. They have no idea to which production they've booked tickets. They have no idea that there is a difference. But there is a difference.

The first weekend features Columbia Classical Ballet (Radenko Pavolich, artistic director). The later two weekends feature Columbia City Ballet (William Starrett, artistic director). Yes, the company names are as similar as The Nutcracker's basic storyline.  Both companies use canned Tchaikovsky music, cast students from their independent ballet schools, and include adults from the community in character roles, mainly in the first act's party scene. Both companies sell tickets through the Koger Center's on-line box office. Both have snow, tiaras, and take a young Clara on a fairytale journey into the Land of Sweets with dancing variations and a final pas de deux. So, what are the differences? Which company's production should an informed audience member select?

Let me cut to the chase. If one wants to see a technically superior Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier, book Radenko's production. I saw Nao Omoya and Koyo Yanagishima on Saturday night. At least I think I did. The program listed double-cast roles but didn't indicate which dancers were performing in which show. I still have no idea who I saw as Clara. Despite being in several Act II variations in both that afternoon's matinee and the evening performance, these two dancers surprisingly had plenty of energy and brought excellent technique to the stage. The dancers for Columbia City Ballet had two performances the following Saturday. I saw both. Claire Richards was lovely but her afternoon partner was weak. Bo Busby and Regina Willoughby looked understandably tired that evening.

Yet, who goes to The Nutcracker for just the last pas de deux? In almost every other way, Columbia City Ballet's production was more pleasing.

That last sentence was hard for me to write.

I'm predisposed against the liberties William Starrrett takes with his production. I'm more inclined to like the traditional dancing dolls during Act I's party scene. Radenko Pavlovich’s Harlequin and Columbine were first rate but couldn't save the scene. That party unfolded as if a series of recital pieces. At one point, all the girls covered the stage rocking baby dolls, and there weren't even enough to go around. Stranger yet, the Nutcracker doll wasn't even a traditional solid. Its legs were moveable, possibly even like a stuffed animal. 

William Starrett’s nutcracker doll looks like a nutcracker, but it’s the only doll on stage. Instead of the classic mechanized dancing doll variations, Starrett features a flirtatious Scarlett straight from Gone With the Wind mythology and a courtship dance between Clara’s older sister and a lead cadet. It works though. It works because the Columbia City Ballet dancers are good actors. As the scene continues, the audience has no problem following the plot. The nutcracker doll is broken, repaired, and placed by the Christmas tree. Effortlessly, the audience follows the action. Clara is lurked back to the darkened living room and a dream sequence begins. Mice and rats battle and the nutcracker is magically transformed into a living doll and finally a prince. One doesn’t have to consult the program. The plot is told through the choreography, the dancers, and good lighting.  Virginia Welsh as young Clara, though not technically perfect, was utterly charming and carried the audience into the Land of Snow and beyond.

Unfortunately, Columbia Classical Ballet’s dancers generally don’t express much emotion and pivotal moments often occurred in poorly lit areas of the stage. There was too much fog and the machine producing it made a lot of distracting noise. The transitions from the Stahlbaums’ living room into a battle scene and onto the Land of Snow were simply not as magical as intended. Narrative was lost.

Columbia Classical Ballet’s Act II is traditional, though it starts oddly. Why? Well, there is no overture played before the ballet begins. Thus, it is strange to listen to the first part of the angelic scene played to the curtain. William Starrett’s Act II starts the same way but his production includes the opening overture. Musically, that seems proper. Musically, Starrett’s Act II is anything but proper. It starts to the correct, heavenly melody and altogether too much gold lamé but then progresses into the Waltz of the Flowers. The other variations are also mixed up and include Neapolitan Ice Cream Flavors and Striped Candy Canes using music that isn’t even from Tchiakovsky’s Nutcracker score. Anyone familiar with the music knows it’s all out of order.

Yet, it works. There’s a flow from section to section and a nice mix of humor for sheer entertainment. I didn’t even mind the appearance of a white horse dressed as a unicorn. Admittedly, its a gimmick but it is only a magical inspired entrance. It doesn’t distract from the dancing or the progression of the ballet. 

By the end of both ballets, Clara is back in her living room and the audiences are altogether too eager to give standing ovations, as if a requirement. Both ballets had their strong points and weaknesses. Both were worth seeing. 

Both companies have extremely enticing opportunities for audience members to witness something special in the coming new year.  On Saturday, January 20th, Columbia Classical Ballet will present their annual LifeChance, an International Ballet Gala of Stars (always one of the best ballet performances in Columbia). On Saturday, January 27th, Columbia City Ballet is partnering with the full South Carolina Philharmonic under Morihiko Nakahara’s baton for Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Looking ahead, I hope this article assists future audience members make informed decisions about their Nutcracker options. Best bet: see both and compare! Maybe you’ll agree with my impressions. Maybe next year’s productions will be entirely different. There’s still time to catch the last weekend of Columbia City Ballet’s Nutcracker. It can be seen at the Koger Center:

3:00 PM Saturday, December 16, 2017
7:30 PM Saturday, December 16, 2017
3:00 PM Sunday, December 17, 2017

Postscript: Most informed audience members know something else. Using LED devices is strictly prohibited. The family sitting in front of me during Columbia Classical Ballet’s Nutcracker used a cell phone to record the entire Bon-Bon variation. The gentleman sitting beside my husband at Columbia City Ballet’s Nutcracker checked his email during the Sugar Plum pas de deux.  Please, go to the shows but don’t do this!

Susan Lenz - photo by Forrest Clonts

Susan Lenz is a full time, professional studio artist in Columbia, South Carolina. Her studio is located at Mouse House, Inc. at 2123 Park Street where she has both a studio for 3D sculptural and installation work and a separate fiber art studio. Susan's work has been juried into numerous national and international exhibits, featured in solo shows all over the United States, and shown on television and in print. She has been awarded six full scholarship art residencies and several "Best of Show" ribbons. She blogs at 

http://www.susanlenz.com/

http://artbysusanlenz.blogspot.com

http://decisionportraits.blogspot.com

http://graverubbingquilts.blogspot.com

The Kids Get It! Carolina Ballet's Nutcracker by Susan Lenz

Township Auditorium teemed with excitement as Richland One School District's third graders squirmed in their seats. I spoke with Cliff Butler, a science and math teacher at Sandel Elementary. No significant preparation had been given to the more than ninety students who came from his school. Daily class schedules are already too tight. The kids were simply excited for the curtain to rise. Then, Nancy Pope, the district's Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator, took center stage. She spoke of audience etiquette. She really didn't need to. The coming two hours proved just how well behaved our local elementary school students really are, even without much of an introduction to ballet, the story line, or other instruction. Shortly thereafter, Neil Casey, Columbia Festival Orchestra conductor, raised his baton and The Nutcracker's overture brought a hush over the crowd.

Ann Brodie's Carolina Ballet presented the full length production. Nothing was abbreviated. Co-artistic director John Whitehead thinks it important that kids be exposed to "the real thing." There were appropriate moments of awe, giggles when Fritz (the youngest Silberhaus child) received a spanking, and gasps of dread when the fearsome Rat King entered the battle scene. Most impressive was the innate knowledge for applause in all the right places. Although Tchaikovsky's score punctuates these moments, the elementary school audience was totally captivated. They were paying close attention to every move. Looking around me, I saw students sitting on the edges of their seats.

During the intermission, I wondered about the hearing impaired students from Brennen Elementary. What impression was made without the melodies? Through an interpreter, I asked. Hands flew in response. I recognized the universal gesture for a powerful lift and a twirling index finger for an amazing pirouette. The consensus: They liked Katherine Brady and Caleb Roberts as Snow Queen and Cavalier. The first act was magical.

Magical!  I couldn't agree more. Now, were there problems? A few imperfect lines? Too much smoke affect at the start of the battle scene? A bobble here and there? Of course! But, this is a civic ballet company. Few on stage will ever dance professionally. The cast is almost entirely students. Some aren't even old enough for kindergarten.

What I saw was a very well rehearsed cast and expert staging. I also saw a strong sense of community, especially in the character roles. Jimmy Moon, a NYC actor, returned to Columbia as Herr Drosselmeyer. USC Dance Company Artistic Director Susan Anderson was wonderful as the widow. Parents of current dancer and parents of dancers who are now off in college pulled on evening gowns and tuxedos for the party scene. More adults were back stage carefully assisting with proper entrances and exits. 

The second act doesn't have the glitz of a party scene and the action of a battle. It is mostly a sequence of ballet variations ending with the full Sugar Plum pas de deux danced by the guest artists SeHyun Jin and Eric Beckham. These are moments for the dancers to shine, to set a mood, but not necessarily to carry the plot. And yet, the third grade audience remained mesmerized. A dropped pin could have been heard when Hollis Baroody entered as Arabian Coffee. I was most impressed by the Vienesse Marzipan trio. Lily-Cate Buchanan and Adaline Fletcher were expertly partnered by an outstanding young Wesley Miller. Wesley's high caliber of dancing reminded me of Eric Beckham in the same role several years ago. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to see this young man in Eric's Sugar Plum Cavalier role in a few years.

Eric Beckham is one of Carolina Ballet's many success stories. He danced his way up the ranks from role to role in The Nutcracker before going off to the School of American Ballet in NYC. For the past two years, he been an apprentice with The National Ballet of Canada. He's now in the corps de ballet at Miami City Ballet. His partner, SeHyun Jin's journey brought her here to Columbia where she is a principal dancer under Radenko Pavolvich at Columbia Classical Ballet.

Over the years I've seen many young dancers grow up in Carolina Ballet's Nutcracker. As a city, we should all be very proud of our civic company and Richland One School district's commitment to bringing a third grade audience. This production is more than an annual exposure to elementary school students. It is proof that Columbia has the potential to grow an outstanding audience for dance. We've had this potential for years. While leaving the auditorium, I asked several students if they'd like to see ballet again. Eyes lit up. Of course they would.

Keeping this flame for dance alive is a problem. How do we, as a community, foster this positive exposure into a knowledgeable, engaged, and passionate future audience? I don't know. I hope my articles for the Jasper Project encourage this conversation. In the mean time, I have one suggestion. The chaperones and teachers accompanying these truly enthralled elementary school kids ought to stay off their cell phones and iPad during the performance. I counted no fewer than six LED lights throughout the second act.  Shame on these adults ... because the kids get it.

See if you agree! Carolina Ballet's Nutcracker will be performed this coming weekend at the Township Auditorium:

Friday, November 24 at 7:30

Saturday, November 25 at 7:30

Sunday, November 26 at 3:00 PM

For tickets and reservations, call (803) 576-2350 or visit www.TicketMaster.com

Something for Everyone: USC Dance Company's Fall Concert Review

by: Susan Lenz

Waiting for the curtain to rise in the Koger Center on Thursday, November 16th meant looking around an audience full of USC dance appreciation students consulting their programs and scribbling in their notebooks before Artistic Director Susan Anderson announced a fund-raising drive and a student scholarship award. She didn't have to make an announcement about cell phone and LED devices. This audience already knew performance etiquette. They probably also knew that the program was going to be an exercise in comparisons. The four works presented were all so different from one another.

The diversity began with George Balanchine's Walpurgisnacht Ballet. Not every ballet company can present a Balanchine work. It's strictly copyrighted and can only be performed by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust. Former New York City Ballet soloist Stacey Calvert meets their exacting standards and did an excellent job of staging the work, a piece which sends twenty-four women soaring across the stage in the wild abandonment to be expected from a night straight out of medieval German folklore. “Walpurgis Night” is the witch Sabbath on the eve of May Day. Senior dance performance major Lydia Sanders was beautifully partnered with guest dancer Bo Busby, a principal dancer with Columbia City Ballet. 

The quick pace and flowing locks of hair gave way to a darkened, foreboding stage with three columns of black curtains in the premiere of Resilience, choreographed by guest artist Miriam Barbosa. Unfortunately, this minimal but visually impressive set was not effectively used as it could have been, and the dancers did not fully embrace the visceral contractions and releases expected when viewing work strongly associated with Martha Graham techniques.

Black Gazing, however, lived up to the iconic songs and music of Nina Simone.  Choreographed by Thaddeus Davis with his own cast of dancers, the work was utterly compelling as the dancers comfortably expressed both beauty and pain, as well as chronicling changing relationships. The projected visual images would have been more effective, though, if the bright bulb hadn't been aimed directly in my eyes.

The evening ended with Suite of Old American Dances choreographed by Heather Stokes and accompanied by the USC Symphonic Winds under the direction of Cormac Cannon.  It is always a treat to witness the collaboration of dancers and live musicians, especially when the melodies are so upbeat and delightful. A romantic interlude between two of the performers meandered through popular 1920s-era dances, including ragtime, the cake walk, a western one-step, the schottische, and a dreamy waltz. The cast looked very happy throughout and the applause showed just how much the audience approved.

When leaving the auditorium, I asked a dance appreciation student if she enjoyed the class and the evening's show. Her answer was totally positive. It is clear that Susan Anderson and the USC Dance program are bringing a high level of performance to Columbia.  While it is too late to see the Fall Concert, it is not too late to experience the diversity and quality of these upcoming USC Dance opportunities:

December 5 - 8 Student Choreography Showcase at Drayton Hall Theatre

February 21 - 24 USC Dance Company's Spring Concert at Drayton Hall Theatre

March 2 - 4 The Bernstein Mass at the Koger Center

April 15 Ballet Starts of New York Gala Performance at the Koger Center

April 27 - 28 Student Choreography Showcase at Drayton Hall Theatre

May 18 - 19 USC Dance Conservatory Spring Concert at Drayton Hall Theatre

For more information on these upcoming events and the USC Dance Program, please visit .

West Columbia Brought the Magic to Friday Night's Fall Back Festival 2017

Alicia Leeke

Tony Brown

Michael Cassidy

Sammy Lopez

BA Hohman

Dre Lopez

Karl Larsen

Herman Keith 

Michael Krajewski & Lucas Sams collaboration

You couldn't have asked for a more beautiful night on State Street last Friday when West Columbia threw their first ever Fall Back Festival. With the help of the shop owners on State Street, and a very strong influence from Frame of Mind owner Mark Plessinger, the night was warm and welcoming, full of music, food, drinks, and good and new friends.

Among the artists creating street art -- literally art on the asphalt paving of State Street -- were ten of Columbia's top creators, and you could tell they were having a great time creating art for art's sake. As one artist said, "It was nice to be able to just come out and make some art without having to abide by too many rules or fill out too many forms and applications." The artists, whose works are pictured above, included Alicia Leeke, Herman Keith, Sammy Lopez, Karl Larsen, Michael Cassidy, Dre Lopez, Tony Brown, BA Hohman, and Michael Krajewski and Lucas Sams who collaborated on their piece.

After 10 provided some great cover tunes, Pawleys food truck fed hungry bellies, and all the restaurants and bars had their doors open welcoming folks to come in and buy a drink to take back out on the street.

Frame of Mind featured an innovative art show by IRL couple artists Bohumila Augustinova and Barry Wheeler. ( Full disclosure: Barry Wheeler is the president of the board of directors for The Jasper Project.)

Mandala by Bohumila Augustinova

Converge Above the Plane by Barry Wheeler

Art for art's sake. Answering the need to create and share that creation. Music in the air. A happy little buzz from a Friday night drink. Friends, old and new, clasping hands, slapping one another on humid backs, giving good deep hugs. Celebrating Friday, fall, art, and one another. 

Keeping it simple. Preserving the joy. 

Dance Scene at the Nick, a new film series

By: Susan Lenz

On Monday night, Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan kicked off the Nickelodeon's new special programming series Dance Scene celebrating the best in contemporary dance-based cinema. Four more films are slated over the coming month of Monday evenings. Programming coordinator Amada Torruella described the series as "riveting tales of spirit and commitment, capturing the passions and partnerships that subtend the dance world." Each film is partnered with a local organization to highlight area dancers, artists and community leaders and their relationships to international dance movements.

Before the theater darkened for Restless Creature, Columbia City Ballet's artistic director William Starrett introduced principal dancer Regina Willoughby. Regina discussed her journey into ballet, her support system, and future plans after retirement. For Willoughby, dance is the fabric of her life, and her upcoming retirement will be a time for celebration. Using all of the available space, Regina then performed the first half of a new work she choreographed on herself to a piece by Dustin O’Halloran. When asked about the musical selection, Regina commented on the soft, new beginnings of the piece that builds in excitement only to end, abruptly but peacefully, much like she envisions this, her final year as a professional ballerina.

Between the film and Regina’s presentation, I learned something new and was truly entertained. I highly recommend this enlivened and well-curated series. Hope to see you on subsequent Monday nights!

For tickets and additional information on the Dance Scene series, please visit http://nickelodeon.org/. Below is a list of the upcoming films:

Alive and Kicking, a dynamic exploration of the history of swing dancing, will be screened on Monday, October 30th and is partnered with a performance by Palmetto Swing Dance Association.

KIKI, a film set in the New York LGTBQ community's dance and ballroom scene, will be screened on Monday, November 6th and is partnered with South Carolina Black Pride, featuring MeMe Revlon and Babe Ebony.

Rize, a documentary on clowning and krumping in Los Angeles, will be screened on Monday, November 13th and is partnered with Fuse Arts Alliance.

Mr. Gaga, a documentary on Ohad Naharin, the artistic director of the Batsheva Dance Company, will be screened on Monday, November 20th and is partnered with both Columbia City Ballet and modern dancer Carolina Lewis Jones.

Some Things Never Die: Decades of Columbia City Ballet's Dracula

by Susan Lenz

In the spring of 1994, William Starrett came to my little frame shop with an order for Columbia City Ballet. Easily, he talked me into exchanging my services for performance tickets. I took my six year old son to the next performance: The Ballet Tara. It was not critically acclaimed, but we didn’t know any better. We loved it and very much looked forward to the next season’s opening show, Dracula: Ballet with a Bite.  

We loved Dracula too. My son left the Koger Center asking for dance lessons. He wanted nothing more than to be on the stage with the Undead. Looking back, I can now see that even a six-year-old boy might feel the attraction of half-clad female vampires using their sexuality to lure men into rolling around on the floor of hot red and passionate purple stage set. What’s not to like when the contract-required long hair of the female cast is part of the choreography? Alluringly slung in full head tosses? The seduction hasn’t changed since Dracula debuted in 1991. 

Yet, much else has. And change is necessary. This is the twenty-second time Dracula has been part of Columbia City Ballet’s season (since 1991, there were a couple years when Dracula’s Revenge or Frankenstein was done instead of the original cult classic.) There is a constant need to update costumes, props, and sets. Every year demands a physically grueling number of rehearsals to introduce new dancers to their parts and ease seasoned dancers into new roles. Over the years, additional music has enhanced the original ASCAP award-winning score by the late composer Thomas E. Samanski. 

Jason Cobb, Office and Educational Outreach Manager, showing off a package of Dracula fangs.)

Even the fangs have changed. Early productions required dancers to visit Tom Hoffman, the company dentist, for full mouth impressions. Nowadays, thermoplastic fangs come in tiny coffin boxes from Dracula House. This year’s show will feature a new Gothic chair fashioned after a set designer’s recent trip visiting Eastern European castles. There’s a new character too: Renfield, Dracula’s weird, fly-eating minion.

Katie Heaton and Amanda Summey, members of the Undead.

Obviously, the cast has changed every year. In 1991 Gillian Murphy, now principal at American Ballet Theater in New York City, danced as a senior apprentice. William Starrett portrayed the protagonist, Jonathan Harker, but would later become Count Dracula before retiring.

In 1994, I left my younger son at home. He had just turned four and was in pre-kindergarten with Amanda Summey, one of this year’s Undead. By 1996, my elder son did appear in Dracula. He was one of the children in an idyllic picnic scene with Bonnie Boiter-Jolley, now a soloist with the Ballet and a Maiden of Darkness who is featured on this year’s advertisement poster.

Over the years, and now decades, I’ve seen Dracula: Ballet with a Bite dozens of times. It’s part of my never-dying Halloween tradition. I always look forward to the same campy, sexy fun as well as the updates and transitions that keep the production fresh.

For tickets to the show, please visit http://www.kogercenterforthearts.com

7:00 PM Friday, October 27, 2017
7:00 PM Saturday, October 28, 2017

There is masquerade “Gala with a Bite” ball after Friday’s performance. This ticketed event will be held at City Market Place, 705 B Gervais Street. Tickets can be ordered atbrownpapertickets.com/event/2962339 or by calling (803) 799-7605. On Saturday, there is a 6:00 PM pre-show lecture in the Koger Center Ballroom with Artistic Director William Starrett. During Saturday’s intermission, over $100 in prizes will be awarded through a costume competition for audience members. Dracula: Ballet with a Bite is also scheduled for Charleston’s Sottile Theater at 7:00 PM on Halloween night.

A Place for Every Dancer: Civic Ballet

By: Susan Lenz

When my husband Steve Dingman finished his PhD, he accepted a job here in Columbia. We moved in January 1987 and shortly thereafter, I got pregnant and we bought a house. We considered this the beginning of our "real lives" as tax-paying adults and felt the thrill of doing cultural things like attending the ballet. We'd never seen the Nutcracker and were excited to attend a Thanksgiving weekend performance at the Township Auditorium. Columbia City Ballet, a civic company, had guest dancer William Starrett performing the role of the Cavalier Prince. Little did we know that the local dance scene was about to change radically.

By the next year, Columbia City Ballet became a professional company under the direction of William Starrett. Instead of amateurs performing almost all the roles (hiring guest professionals only as needed, generally for leading male parts requiring complicated partnering), a professional troupe was hired. Paid dancers replaced local high school students. Ideally, this meant Columbia's audiences could expect a higher level of technical ability and better quality. It also meant that local student dancers had fewer opportunities to perform. That's when Ann Brodie's Carolina Ballet was founded, a civic company to continue the tradition of training pre-professional dancers. 

Ann Brodie's Carolina Ballet is still mounting the Nutcracker at the Township Auditorium over every Thanksgiving weekend. This is their 30th year. All 163 dancers who auditioned last August were cast. Co-artistic director John Whitehead said, "It is our duty and responsibility to find a place for everyone. We make the dancers look good because they make the production look good." Over the years, several have gone from being mice to Sugar Plum Fairy. A civic company provides a unique training ground with performing opportunities. When I asked about the difficulties of casting, John explained that age, ability, and height are important factors. Plus, there are only so many costumes and dancers in particular scenes. (For example, there are only twenty Bon-Bon outfits.)

Rehearsals for this year's show have been underway for weeks. The dancers come from a variety of different ballet schools and programs. Older dancers rehearse every weekday evening after their regular ballet class plus Saturdays and Sundays. Younger dancers come on the weekends from 2 to 5:30. There are guest performers too, including Chris Beattie, a character actor who has been the Rat King for twenty-three years. Miss Libby's Dance School in Sumter sends tap dancing soldiers for the battle scene. The second act opens to the angelic voices of Capella Pueri, St. Peter's Catholic School choir under the direction of Andrew Kotylo. Neil Casey conducts The Columbia Festival Orchestra throughout the show.

I asked John Whitehead if he ever tired of this annual production. Confidently, he said no. He finds personal revitalization in the energy of the kids. I asked his co-artistic director Mimi Worrell if she had ever been Clara, the most coveted role for a young girl. No. Her first part was as a Party Girl. Over the years, she has danced just about every other role either as an amateur in a civic show or for pay in a professional company.

Over the years, I've seen plenty of Nutcracker productions, with choreography as different as George Balanchine's to Septime Webre's and companies as far away as Pacific Northwest and London's Royal Ballet. Yet, the one I know the best is still Ann Brodie's at Carolina Ballet. I will always love seeing young dancers living their dream and growing up on stage from part to part. 

Tickets are available by calling (803) 576-2350 or visiting www.ticketmaster.com

Dates and times for the production are:

• Friday, November 24, 2017 - 7:30pm

• Saturday, November 25, 2017 - 7:30pm

• Sunday, November 26, 2017 - 3:00pm

Grant Show, in town to play Dracula for the Columbia City Ballet, talks with Jasper (pt. 2)

 

In Part 1 of our interview with Grant Show, he discussed the challenges of taking on a dance role as the titular Count in Dracula: Ballet With a Bite, presented by the Columbia City Ballet this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, October 24-26 at the Koger Center.  Discussion now turns to his career, and how a role in community theatre long ago led to a career as an actor.

Jasper:  I take it you're on a break now, since you have a new series (Devious Maids, on Lifetime.)  Congratulations - how's that going?

Grant Show:  Thank you.  It's going great.  We finished our season real strong.  We started out OK, and had this really nice build, as far as the audience, which I think is a really good sign.  I think the show is really great - I never really had any doubts about it.

Jasper:  So it's officially coming back for another season?

Show:  Oh yeah, definitely.  We go back to work in January.  It'll be back on the air I think the beginning of April.  We're starting earlier this year than last year. Last year was a summer show, and this year it's going to be more of a spring show, in 2014. The cast has been pared down quite a bit, but it was massive, that cast. It had like 18 members, and I think we’re down to 12, which is a big cast anyway.  They've told us a little about what's going to happen next year. I'm excited about it.    My character Spence, and Rosie, who are sort of star-crossed lovers throughout, are broken up in the end, and it takes Spence down a really bad path. He ends up becoming a hot mess. (laughs) I'm looking forward to it.  That was the way it was described to me: he's a hot mess. (laughs more)

Jasper:  You're often described as "television star Grant Show," or "Grant Show from Melrose Place," or from your new series...but you actually began as a stage actor.

Show: Well yeah, I had done a lot of stage.

Jasper: You studied theatre in college, at UCLA.

Show:  Well yeah. My first real job (as Rick Hyde, on Ryan's Hope) was a television job, and then I did a lot of back and forth, gosh, for ten years maybe.  And then once I got Melrose Place, once you're on a show, it's really hard to do theatre.  After I left Melrose Place, for the next three or four years I did a bunch more theatre (including Wit on Broadway, and The Glass Menagerie, as the Gentleman Caller, with Elizabeth Ashley at The Alley Theatre in Houston)  and then I moved out to California, and it's very difficult to do both. Your agents don't want you to do theatre.  There’s no money in it. They don't believe the long term, about how it develops you as an actor, as an artist.  They just don't get it.  They don't see any advantage in doing theatre.  They're not doing it, but for us, it's fun.

Jasper: You actually took a break from television after your first series, and went off to London to study at LAMDA (the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts) - what was going through your mind at that point?

Show:  I knew that what I was doing, on a daytime soap, wasn't what I wanted to do.  And I also knew that I wasn’t really that good of an actor yet. There was something they were doing over there, and I wanted to go see what they were doing.  I don't even know how much I learned, but it was fun.  I had a good time.  It was like a year of summer camp for actors.

Jasper: Similar to your undergrad experience?

Show:  No, more intense.  A lot more intense. We worked every day, seven or eight hours a day, for nine months.  I couldn't have not learned something - I had to learn something.  What, I couldn’t tell you.  But it was great.  If you have the opportunity...I knew I wanted to do it for at least a year before my contract was up. So I saved up my money, I was young, I was 27, so let's go have fun.  And I did.

Jasper:  Did you always plan on being an actor?

Show:  No.  I was going to be a pilot.  I had planned on flying for the Air Force. But we were poor, and I was in a public school, and you're not going to get into the Air Force Academy out of a public school, so the only real private education I could get was at a parochial, or religious, school.  Very early into being there, I realized I didn't like people telling me what to do. So I left there, and quit that whole plan.  I was well on the way - Eagle Scout, Senator's letter of recommendation... there's a whole bunch of steps you have to have.  I had gotten it all stacked up already, but I just needed to get the right education.  I realized "Yeah, not for me - the military's not gonna do it for me."  So I kind of goofed off for a long time.  I did some plays in high school, just as something to do.  I was a couple of years out of high school, not knowing what I wanted to do, and I did a community theatre play, and I was like "You know?  If they'll pay me to do this, I like this."

Jasper:  What was the show?

Show: Oh, it was some musical revue.  And I don't sing. It was just something that somebody put together, it wasn't a big thing.

Jasper: But you enjoyed it enough, to pursue that as a career?

Show:  Oh yeah. And I've been very, very, very, very blessed.

Jasper:  Do you know what ran on cable not too long ago?  Ice (a made-for-tv natural disaster movie that ran on ABC in the summer of 2000, about Californians struggling to escape and survive a sudden Ice Age.)

Show:  Oh my godddddd.

Jasper:  You know, one of your co-stars in that movie was also a famous screen Dracula -  Udo Keir, who was Andy Warhol's Dracula.

Show:   Yes, yeah I know that. God, they missed the boat on that (Ice.)  That could have been a good, good, fun movie. I just think that....it was okay....

Jasper:  It was actually pretty good.

Show:  It was okay.

Jasper:  The story was actually...

Show:  It was okaaaaay.

Jasper:    Just done on a miniscule budget, but a pretty cool idea.

Show:    It just missed. You never get any time on those things. You get it, and you've got a couple of weeks, maybe, at most,  and they fly you up, and then you start working on it, and it's just work work work work.  And after we're all done, I'm like "Aaaah, god, we could have done this, we could have done that..." I  had all these thoughts in my head about what we could have done.   It's nature of the beast.

Jasper:  We're also fans of Burn Notice, and big Bruce Campbell fans. Any stories about working on that series?

Show: Aw, he's great. (thinks) Nothing all that crazy happened. I loved it.  You know, Jeffrey (Donovan, the star) and I tested opposite each other for that role that Jeffrey ended up doing, so it was probably going to be between me and him. And when they asked me to come in and do a few episodes, I was like "No, I'm not going to come in and play a co-star to someone I read opposite!  I'm not going to be his supporting actor.  They were like "Why don't you read the script, and see?"  And it wasn't just a supporting actor to him, it was a pretty big character, and I had a lot of fun doing it.  I just love those guys. Matt Nix, the creator - he's great. He's terrific.  I talked to him about his whole writing process, and he was really super-supportive, and ready to talk - he's just a good dude.

Jasper:  Apart from your new series, which isn't even new any more, do you have anything else in the works?

Show:  No, that's it.  Katherine and I bought a house on the Marina peninsula that is 90-some years old, that hasn't been touched in 40 years. We're remodeling that, so that's kind of nice.  But I go back to work in two months. So there's not really enough time for anything.

Jasper:  So nothing on the side?

Show:  This.  This is it right now.

Jasper:  Have you visited Columbia before?

Show:  No.  I've played golf in Greenville.  Columbia is great though. I haven't really seen much of it. I've seen from the hotel to the studio, and from the studio...to the hotel.  That's all I've seen.  I keep waiting for someone to give me some barbecue. I love me some pork.  But I'm just so busy - this is really kind of a lot, this is (laughing) kind of ridiculous trying to get me ready to do this in four days. So that's all I'm doing. So then I get home, and I'm in my room, doing the steps, and it's not the newest building in the world.  So the floors are all wood, and all creaking around, and I'm sure the person below is like "Yaaaaaa - damn you!  Stop it!  What are you doing up there?"

Jasper:  Thinking about arts now in the broadest sense - what do you see as the role of the arts, and acting, and drama, from a societal viewpoint?

Show:  In the biggest, broadest sense, it's just a sort of visceral understanding that no man is an island, that we're all in this together.  In a real broad sense, that's it - we're all here together.

Jasper:  What do you see happening in the future with the performing arts, especially at the local level, with local playhouses, local ballets, local opera companies that are struggling in the current economy?

Show:  It feels like you can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I'm not in it that much, though, I'm not in the trenches. I mean I know you guys just lost a ballet company (in Charleston.) But maybe that's an opportunity.  I believe it's an opportunity for William. He's definitely going to pick up the slack there.  I think it's unfortunate that it's the first place (arts) that money is taken away from, but it's a fact of life. Live theatre, or ballet, if they can't survive because no one's going to see them, then maybe they're not relevant anymore.  I believe they are. And I believe they will.

Jasper:  Finally, what are some favorite roles you have played?

Show:  Both of them are in television shows.  I did a series, gosh, almost ten years ago now, called Point Pleasant.   Marti Noxon (an executive producer on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, and consulting producer on Glee and Mad Men) was the producer.   I played this guy who had sold his soul to the Devil.  He was basically the Devil's Pope. It was all supernatural crap, and he was just really fun.  The guy could do anything. He didn't give a crap about anybody.  He was a true villain, and that was really fun to play. And then the opposite side of the spectrum, the character I played in Swingtown, Tom Decker - he just wanted to make sure that everybody knew they were invited to the party.  He was the guy that says "you're good enough, you're pretty enough, and damn it, people like you.  Come on in - let's have sex!"  He was really fun, to just be free to just be welcoming to everyone, and your  whole goal is to try to make everybody else feel good about themselves. That was really fun.

Jasper:  And is there any role that you've always wanted to play?

Show:  (without hesitation) Yeah - James Bond!  I think I was born in the wrong area (i.e. America), and I missed my boat on that one.  But what guy doesn't want to play James Bond?

~ August Krickel

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Columbia City Ballet presents Dracula: Ballet with A Bite at the Koger Center, running from Thursday, Oct. 24 - Saturday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at Capitol Tickets, online at www.capitoltickets.com, or by calling (803) 251-2222. University students are encouraged to take advantage of special discount student pricing on Thursday, Oct. 24: all tickets are $10 with a valid student ID.

"This creature, this man, this person, this thing" - Actor Grant Show talks about playing Dracula for the Columbia City Ballet (pt. 1)

I very nearly miss actor Grant Show as I arrive at Drip on Main to talk about his upcoming role in the Columbia City Ballet's Dracula:  Ballet With a Bite. Dressed casually in workout clothes, looking down at his smartphone, he could be any young urban Main Street or Vista professional, stopping off for coffee after a jog or a visit to the gym, and not a visiting star from Hollywood on a break from rehearsal.  His publicity photo as Dracula doesn't do him justice.  He's the leanest, wiriest, tannest, fittest guy you can imagine, looking not much older than his character Jake Hanson did from 1992-1997 in the popular Fox series Melrose Place.   Since then, he's starred in a number of series (Point Pleasant, Swingtown, Accidentally on Purpose) cable television movies (Sex and the Single Mom, Natalee Holloway) and feature films (last year's The Possession) and has had recurring roles in series like Big Love, Burn Notice, and Private Practice.  Currently one of the stars of Lifetime's hit Devious Maids, which will return for a second season next spring, Show will portray the the blood-sucking Transylvanian Count in three performances this coming Thursday October 24 through Saturday October 26, at 7:30 PM at the Koger Center.   He shared some thoughts about this production, and his career this past Friday afternoon, the day before the production opened out of town in Savannah.

Jasper:  How did you first become involved with Dracula?

Grant Show:   Because William Starrett is pretty persuasive, as I'm sure everyone in Columbia already knows.  My wife, Katherine LaNasa (currently seen as Lizzie Ambrose on A & E's Longmire)  was a dancer. She danced with William in Europe. She stopped dancing professionally when she was in her 20's - she danced from when she was about 16 to about 26.  So I've known William for a couple of years now; William came out for our wedding.

Jasper:  You're a newlywed, correct?  Congratulations!

Show:  A year.  We're just past newlyweds now.  Thanks!   Katherine and William are doing a reality show, not in the sense of a "Housewives" reality show - it's more of  docu-reality show, what a documentary used to really be, about the Company.  So we've been a lot more in touch with him in the last couple of months.  They shot it a long time ago, and they're in the middle of making a deal on that.  I'm not a dancer, I've never been.  In my movement class at LAMDA (the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts) they called me "the Lorry Driver."  This is a Herculean effort, to try to get me to a place where there is any grace - but that's kind of why I wanted to do it.  I think (William) likes bringing in actors too - he's really terrific.

Jasper:  He's played Dracula himself, he's had dancers in the lead, and he's had actors play the role, so he's done it both ways.

Show:  He's a really creative guy, and creativity is really spurred on by disparate input.  His creativity is sparked when something new comes along, and having to deal with my limitations makes him more creative. Myself as well, me coming in here and trying to figure out what I can do and can't do. And then pushing the limits of what I can do.

Jasper:  Have you surprised yourself?

Show:  I don't know if I'm doing it well yet, but I'm doing way more than I thought I would.   I'm doing lifts!  I didn't think I was going to be dancing at all.  I thought I was just going to come in, (shifting into a Bela Lugosi-style voice) "and be Dracula!" and then kind of sweep out.  But he's got me in full-on numbers, quite a bit - a lot more than I thought.  I'm doing a lot of lifts. When they suggested it to me, I was like "You guys are nuts!  I'm going to take this part and just...walk across the stage?   People study for years before they do that!"  But the girls are so good;  everyone there is so good, that they're making me look better than I am.  And I'm having a lot of fun.  I am, I'm having a great time, just a lot of fun.  The weirdest thing is: I've seen one ballet in my life.  It's not my thing, or it wasn't.  The emotion that comes over me  most often now during rehearsal - not when I'm working, but when I'm waiting to work - is (that) I'm jealous of these people.  I'm very jealous.   I will never have anywhere near the grace that these that guys have.  Even if I decided now that I wanted to, it's too late. I've missed that boat.  And I'm a little bit jealous of these guys, if not a lot jealous of these guys. They're incredibly athletic and graceful and artistic, all at the same time, something I will never have.

Jasper:  How challenging is it to do an acting role with lots of movement, but no dialogue?

Show:  It's different.  They're not putting any pressure on me, so there's no fear, I don't have any fear here.  Not yet.  Maybe I will before the curtain goes up tomorrow.  The first three days I was just learning where I was supposed to be standing on the stage.  I got here Monday night.  So Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday... maybe a little bit Thursday afternoon, I started to act, but  there's really been no acting, it's just been "What do I do next, what do I do next? "  and listening to the music.  The cues are very different. There are some visual, but mostly, it's auditory cues, so re-training myself for that, that's difficult, and today was really the first time that I was able to go "What kind of choices am I going to be making?"  And of the choices I've already made for this character, for this creature, this man, this person, this thing, can I incorporate them, will they work?  It is challenging. And I don't have a lot of time  to do it.

Jasper:  That's not bad for three days.

Show:  I feel OK , considering. Unfortunately people in the audience aren't going to know that there's a "considering"  They come to see a show.  They don't come to see a show with a caveat of "Oh, well he's only had this much time."  They just want to see a good show.  One thing that is very challenging is, that if you're in a scene in a play, or a tv show, or a movie, or whatever, you can do that scene, with whoever you're working with;  it generally doesn't have more than two or three people at the most. You can do it again, do it again, do it again.  You can try different things, and keep trying.  But (here) you've got the entire company. If I want to work on one little moment, you've got to get the entire company together, you've got to cue the music up, you've got to move into it, so you really only get two or three shots at it in a day, in a whole day.  So that's really difficult and challenging - it's new.

Jasper:  You said "this character, this creature, this man, this person, this thing." So which is it?  How are you approaching the role?

Show:  Well you have to play it as a person, as a man.  The closest thing that I'm kind of, playing with, is that he's really kind of a sexual predator.  But there's also some things that are child-like about him, that maybe a sexual predator has as well, so that's kind of what I'm playing with.  Are you (the audience) going to see any of this?  I have no idea.  These are just thoughts in my head.

In Part 2, Grant Show discusses his current series Devious Maids, how he broke into acting then took a break to develop his craft, as well as favorite roles, roles he was very nearly cast in, and roles he would love to play.   Columbia City Ballet presents Dracula: Ballet with A Bite at the Koger Center, running from Thursday, Oct. 24 - Saturday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 PM. Tickets can be purchased at Capitol Tickets, online at www.capitoltickets.com, or by calling (803) 251-2222. University students are encouraged to take advantage of special discount student pricing on Thursday, Oct. 24: all tickets are $10 with a valid student ID.

~ August Krickel

Palmetto Pointe Project 2013 Calendar

The New Year is upon us, the celebratory holiday decorations are ready to be stored away for another year, and Christmas and Hanukkah gifts are now being put to good use. Except... what's that one thing you forgot?  A 2013 calendar! Once a standard and modest-looking seasonal gift from gas stations and insurance companies, visually appealing calendars for specific tastes and audiences really took off in the 70's, with a plethora of cute kitty photos, Tolkien art from the Brothers Hildebrandt, scenic landscapes, and just about any other image imaginable.  There's often a calendar on your bulletin board at work, another in the kitchen at home, possibly another in a study, playroom, workshop or garage. Local Columbia photographer Jason Ayer has now joined the mix, with the perfect gift for the ballerina or dance enthusiast in your life (even if that happens to be you.)

Ayer's calendar is the first product from his Palmetto Pointe Project; his images "explore South Carolina through the eyes, and feet, of dancers," caught on film and on site at scenic landmarks, historic venues, and locales showcasing our state's natural beauty. Ayer is a long-time friend of Jasper, having done countless photo shoots and publicity images for the USC Dance Program, as well as for the Coquettes, and the Cheerleading, Equestrian and Cross Country teams. (His show last year at Cool Beans was profiled here.) His interest in dance goes all the way back to the late 80's, when, full disclosure, he and I were roommates, and did shows together at Town Theatre, including musicals like 42nd St., Gypsy and My Fair Lady.  Vaguely suggested by NYC's "Ballerina Project" (to which Ayer was introduced by ballerina Kathryn Miles) the Palmetto Pointe Project takes Columbia dancers out of the studio and into striking locations that complement the creativity of both model and photographer. Each dancer collaborates with Ayer on the mood and theme of the image, with the individual performer's personality influencing much of the look and feel.  The dancers also share in the profits of any images sold in which they appear.

Ayer notes that the calendar's dimensions are 8.5"x 11", and that the individual images are "clean" artwork, so "at the end of the year, you can take it apart and have 13 pieces of artwork for your wall!"  Calendars are available at S&S Art Supply on Main Street, and online. More images and info about future projects can be found at the Palmetto Pointe Project Facebook Page.

~ August Krickel

Columbia City Ballet presents The Sleeping Beauty: A Story Where Good Triumphs Over Evil with a Single Kiss

The Columbia City Ballet culminates its 2011-2012 season with the most famous kiss in fairytale history… a sparkling rendition of the full-length classic The Sleeping Beauty. Under the direction of Executive & Artistic Director William Starrett, this elaborate spectacle of magic and glamour takes the Koger Center stage on March 9 and 10 for three performances.

“The Sleeping Beauty is one of the purest classical ballets in existence. It has a long and important history with the Columbia City Ballet. It has been produced ten times in our 50 year history: first in 1966, and last eight years ago in 2004. I first danced the role of the Prince in Sleeping Beauty for the Minnesota Ballet when I was 17-years-old. It is thrilling that I can be instrumental in bringing this masterpiece to our community,” said Starrett.

Created in 1890 by choreographer Marius Petipa and legendary composer Tchaikovsky, The Sleeping Beauty is recognized as one of the supreme achievements of classical ballet. The ballet takes audiences on a journey through an enchanted forest based on the classic French fairytale by Charles Perrault: the beautiful princess Aurora, performed by Ballerina Regina Willoughby, is cursed by the evil fairy Carabosse, brought to life by Alexis Doktor and Cooper Rust who will be alternating the role, and doomed to sleep for one-hundred years -- only to be awakened by the kiss of her true love, the handsome Prince Charming, danced by Soloist Journy Wilkes-Davis. Also performing are Principal dancers Mark Krieger and Kathryn Smoak dancing the Blue Bird Pas De Deux and the Lilac Fairy will be portrayed by Soloist Claire Kallimanis, alternating with Claire Richards.

Tchaikovsky is also well-known for two other popular full length classical ballets, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. With a score that has stood the test of time, The Sleeping Beauty remains one of the most revered ballets in the world today. The sheer artistry of the technically demanding dancing, and the Columbia City Ballet’s fresh approach to this clearly-portrayed story make The Sleeping Beauty production the perfect family outing and a great ballet for first-timers.

Performances of The Sleeping Beauty are:

March 9 at 7:30 p.m.

March 10 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Before each evening performance, Director Starrett holds a pre-show lecture 30 minutes prior to the curtain where he gives you a unique introduction behind the scenes into the magical world of ballet. Following the March 10 matinee, audience members are invited to tour backstage and meet the Columbia City Ballet dancers.

The Sleeping Beauty is sponsored by Lexington Medical Center. Tickets are on sale at the Coliseum Box Office and all Capitol Ticket Outlets. Charge by phone by calling 251-2222 or on online at www.capitoltickets.com. For more information about the Columbia City Ballet, call (803)799-7605 or visit www.columbiacityballet.com.

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