Columbia Conservatory of Jazz Alum Ashley Green Wins Princess Grace Award & Signs with Alvin Ailey Dance

My soul feels like it leaves my body sometimes and yet I have chills from my head to my toe. — Ashley Green

Columbia is home to a plethora of artists who put their all into their work. One of these passionate communities, rife with those reaching for the stars, is the dance community. Ashley Green, 23, grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, before moving to dance in Seattle and New York.  

Some of Green’s first serious studies were with Columbia’s Dale Lam, who fondly recalls their moments together: “Les and I would drive her halfway home to meet her mom, who would pick her up and take her on home.”

Jasper had the chance to talk with Green about her recent accomplishments, such as winning a Princess Grace Award and joining dance company Alvin Ailey.

JASPER: Was dancing an early love for you, or something you fell in love with over time? 

GREEN: When I was younger and first starting dance, I actually didn’t like it that much. But then around nine, it became everything. I would never want to leave the studio. I would stay until 10 o'clock at night. Sometimes I wouldn't even be dancing but would love just being there late.

JASPER: And you danced in Charleston and Columbia, right? Did you go to school for it as well? 

GREEN: Around 13 I started coming to the Columbia City Jazz Conservatory to dance with Dale Lam. My initial objective after graduating high school was to move to New York or LA, but I spent half a summer in LA and realized I didn’t want to be there. I knew I had to go to school, then, and I chose Point Park University in Pittsburgh, where I studied dance.

JASPER: Was there a turning point with dance where you knew, “I want this to be my life." 

GREEN: Realistically, the time I fully knew would've been college. One day I realized, this is actual work, actual, actual work. This is trauma coming to the surface. This is work with no pay, with mental health issues here to stay. And I just didn’t know. But then one day I went into the studio by myself, and I was just dancing, and I was like, ‘wow, I want to do this forever.’

JASPER: How would you verbalize the feelings that accompany you when you dance? 

ASHLEY: When it feels really good, it feels very orgasmic. My soul feels like it leaves my body sometimes and yet I have chills from my head to my toes. And I think that's what keeps me…it feels like a drug, like I'm fiending for it at all times. Even when I hate it, I'll come home after work and I'm like, "I need that feeling." So, I'll just go dance in my living room.

JASPER: And you chased that feeling to Whim W’Him in Seattle, right? What went into the decision to go and then leave there? 

GREEN: My whole gist of everything is that I want to inspire younger generations. And with Whim W'Him, I could have done that, but it's different because everyone in the company was white-facing or of Asian descent...which was beautiful and great, but I don't think that for who I wanted to reach, I could ever reach them there. Seattle is very white as well, and while I love Seattle, and I love that company, I wanted to broaden my brand—dare I say—and broaden who I reach.

JASPER: How did you choose Alvin Ailey as your place to go? 

GREEN: They called me one day because they were looking for new people. Somebody, maybe a friend, suggested me to the director, and then from there, I got into the company. I didn't audition or anything—I think they couldn't have an audition because of New York's COVID protocol. But I wasn't seeking it. It kind of fell in my lap.

JASPER: And it was around this same time, this year, that you won the Princess Grace Award, right? Can you tell me about it? 

GREEN: My director in Seattle told me they were going to nominate me in February, and I was like, okay, I'm 23, I don't know how that's going to work out because I'm so young. It's very competitive and prestigious. But Princess Grace has always been a goal of mine—I just thought it wouldn't happen until I was like 27, 28. I honestly forgot I applied, and the lady called me a good ten times before I finally answered, and when she told me I won, I couldn’t believe it. Twenty-three has been a year of successes for me, and I just feel so lucky.

JASPER: So, what does a day in the life of Ashley Green the award-winning dancer look like? 

GREEN: Well, usually, I wake up at like 8:00/8:30. My fittings are usually at 9:00, and then from the fitting I go to ballet class. From class, I go to rehearsal until 7:00, and then I come home and try to stir up some courage to dance in my living room because that saves me. You know, let me settle down from this long day and be with myself.

JASPER: Do you have a favorite style or styles you return to, especially when you dance for yourself? 

GREEN: I think contemporary is my favorite, but maybe because it's the best I can do. What I have the most fun doing is hip hop. I just don’t do it very often. I really like them all, but hip hop is my favorite one and contemporary is the one I'm good at.

JASPER: Do you have ideas for your career post-twenty-three? 

GREEN: If God is willing, I really would love to move to Europe. I want to dabble in literally everything that I can before it's too late, but I'm just kind of on the ride. Honestly, the goals that I’m accomplishing here right now are my goals that I had for myself at like thirty. Something that I really want to do is own my own dance company. Eventually. And if I didn't, I think I would love to start a community facility for young girls, a mentorship program so that they could feel like they're supported with professional dancers behind their back.

JASPER: In your career so far, have you had any moments that stand out? 

GREEN: I have one. It was my second semester of college, and I was doing a Garfield Lemonius piece, and I connected to it on such a deep level. I was in this moment of time where I felt like I was really stepping into my own artistically and with my body, and I remember being on stage and–literally–I could see clouds, and it felt like angels were singing to me while I was doing this dance…even talking about it, I get chills because I felt the winds on me. And that's the most memorable moment I have as a dancer. And my parents had surprised me and were in the audience, and I didn’t know it!

JASPER: It sounds like your parents have been extremely supportive. 

GREEN: They sacrificed so much for me. Truly and honestly, I would not be here without them and their sacrifice, always being such a crucial support system that I have needed throughout my life and moving through the process of adulthood and finding myself.

JASPER: On the note of finding yourself, earlier you discussed dancing amongst white-facing and Asian dancers; would you mind speaking about your journey as a Black dancer? 

GREEN: I think it's hard sometimes for me to speak on the topic because I was lucky enough to be a very talented Black dancer, so I got treated differently. Granted, yes, there are microaggressions at all times because I am a Black woman in a white space. But it's like...this is why I'm in these spaces. If there's a white space, I'm going to enter it. It might put me in danger mentally, but it's showing we need representation in each spot. Because how can you evolve with no culture? And I think this is also why I need to step out eventually to another space, like interjecting space for Black dancers in European spaces so that kids here or there who are Black feel like they can enter these spaces confidently.

You can follow along Ashley’s journey as she creates these spaces on her Instagram @awagreen98.

By Christina Xan

Belly Dancer and Silversmith Ashley Bennett Creates Stories Through Jewelry in Her August Tiny Gallery Show

On August 1st, Jasper unveiled the newest Tiny Gallery featuring Ashley Bennett, the first solo jewelry show in the gallery’s history. Bennett, a dancer and silversmith who runs dance group Tiny Coven and smithing studio Covenite Silver, created 16 pieces throughout July for the show. The show has one week and two pieces left, so take a peek at them and Bennett’s life below. 

Bennett is not a stranger to beautiful art, seeing as she was raised by a “natural singer”—her mother—who was in turn raised by a pianist. A young woman raising a child on her own meant the pair moved quite often, living in Georgia, Ohio, and Michigan. Throughout times of change, though, one thing remained certain.

 “My mom wanted me to have more art in my life, and I always had a wild imagination,” Bennett recalls. “In the 6th grade, my English teacher recommended that I be placed in a magnet school for fine arts, based on my creative writing. I ended up being accepted for music, drama, and dance.”  

While Bennett enjoyed her courses, she found herself struggling to organize her work, time, and thoughts. Unfortunately, due to time and circumstance, she would not have an answer to understanding this part of her identity for years. 

“Thanks to social media and the fact that people understand a lot more about learning and neurodivergence, I'm currently working on getting a diagnosis for adult ADHD and dyslexia,” Bennett divulges, “It's not that I'm excited to have a learning disability—I'm just excited to know that I don't have to feel ashamed of myself for failing at some things.”  

Towards the beginning of this journey of self-understanding, Bennett took a couple of different dance classes, including Appalachian style clogging and belly dancing, the latter of which would become a defining part of her identity. While she did not immediately dedicate herself to belly dancing, Bennett did fall in love with yoga, and serendipitously, with a yoga class taught by belly dancer, Rachel Brice. 

“My yoga practice was never the same after that,” Bennett shares. “It's now been 16 years since I took my first intensive with Rachel…and only 6 months since we spoke on Zoom about a final project that I completed for her during quarantine.” 

This seeking of the self and interweaving of aspects of life continues to leak through Bennett’s art. Belly dancing and jewelry making are her two passions, and as she has explored each, she has found they speak to one another. Belly dancers, for instance, often partake in their own costume and jewelry design. 

“One time, when I was brand new and had made my very first ‘bra’ style top, a woman walked up and exclaimed that she owned the exact same embroidered trim that I had used (from JoAnn Fabrics),” Bennett remembers, “After that, I would only buy costume components from vintage and ethnic shops online. I want my audience to be transported to another world, not to the craft store. Keeping everything thing one-of-a-kind, handmade, and rugged is what drew me to smithing.” 

Even today, Bennett emphasizes that any jewelry she creates she would also wear as a costume piece. A balance of dedication and spontaneity are present in both smithing and performing. Individually, they function like a yin and yang with dance focusing on community and smithing focusing on solidarity, coming together to inform one another’s storytelling. 

“Both disciplines involve a hardy dose of improvisation, which I find deeply gratifying,” Bennett says. “And they both bring me so much joy.” 

Whether dance or jewelry, past work or present, Bennett is inspired by the less tangible aspects of the world around her, claiming that she never stopped believing that magic exists naturally within all of us. She hopes to offer a tangible version of that to others, often with pendants inspired by mythical creatures. 

“My approach to costuming is that I want the audience to believe we may have been born wearing our costumes. While I am still mastering the basics of silversmithing, my aim is to create pieces that look like the wearer came into this world wearing them,” Bennett says. “It would hang naturally, and the closures would be difficult to spot. I love when you can look at a piece close-up and still not really be able to tell how it was made.”  

When it comes to this specific Tiny Gallery show, Bennett was motivated by a desire to make one piece of jewelry every day through the month of July and present a fresh, inspired collection. While 2020 provided much free time to smith, 2021 sucked much that time away, and whatever time remained typically went to custom designs. 

“I wanted to challenge myself not to overthink every piece, to just make something from start to finish in one day, and then build the collection one day at a time and see what happens,” Bennett reveals, “July is also my birthday month, so I saw it as an indulgent treat for myself. No customs—just a few hours of improvisation a day and a fistful of pendants made from my favorite stone.”  

Unfortunately, at the end of June, Bennett’s mother fell ill, and she found out she had to vacate her home in 30 days, moving not only her studio but her family and life. July brought not only these shifts but a hernia and broken tooth. Despite these curveballs directly thrown her way, Bennett still made 16 pieces of jewelry throughout the month of July.  

“I hope that those who see my work get a sense of dauntless optimism. Things will work out, and if they don't, something else will happen,” Bennett says. “I am not a Buddhist, but I am comfortably detached from outcomes—and I think that is the secret to happiness.”

Attached to an outcome or not, the results of her show so far are nothing short of wonderful, though not surprising. 14 of 16 pendants have sold, pendants proving that a handmade piece of jewelry holds just as much soul and story as a painting or photograph. The varied tones of the center stones on each piece, shining in emerald and cerulean, hold and project individual tales. 

As a storyteller and artist, Bennett has two opportunities she considers distinctly special. One is interacting with her dance students—who she calls her closest friends and support system—and the other is being a working artist and a mom: “It is a huge privilege to me that I get to raise my daughter in a community of diverse and talented people, like those from our years at Tapp's Arts Center and presently at Sage Studios.”

 If you’d like to support Bennett as an artist, teacher, mother, and human, visit her gallery by the end of the month. Currently, only two of her effervescent pendants remain with only a week left to bring their stories home with you. The gallery is available 24/7 at the Jasper website:

https://the-jasper-project.square.site/tiny-gallery  

After the show, Bennett’s dance company, Tiny Coven, will be working towards ensemble performances this coming fall and spring. She hopes to schedule more collection releases with Covenite Silver in the coming months as well, which you can follow on her Instagram @covenitesilver. Finally, she’d love the chance to show old and new friends alike around her new space at Sage Studios.

-Christina Xan

7 Questions with Columbia Summer Rep Dance Company's Abby McDowell

Jasper is catching up with some of the members of the Columbia Summer Repertory Theatre in advance of their upcoming summer concerts this Friday and Saturday nights. Today we’re talking with Abby McDowell.

JASPER: Abby, catch us up on you, please. Where are you from and where did you train or work prior to coming to Columbia? 

ABBY: I’m originally from Charlotte and grew up in the school of Charlotte Ballet, where I trained with Patty McBride, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Mark Diamond, and Cathy Moriarty. At 18 I got a position as an apprentice with Charlotte Ballet, and then a position in The Professional Division of Pacific Northwest Ballet School.  I worked as a fellowship with Atlanta Ballet, and then spent 7 years dancing for The Georgia Ballet.  

JASPER: When did you come to CCB and what is your position there now? 

ABBY: I joined CCB 7 years ago and was appointed to soloist after my 3rd season with the company.

JASPER: What’s the most satisfying role you’ve ever danced? 

ABBY: The role of “Rhythm Girl”  in Balanchine’s Who cares?.  It was originally choreographed on my beloved teacher and mentor Patty McBride who was a muse of George Balanchine.  She was an extremely enigmatic performer, and it was created at a special time in the history of ballet in America, so I feel really honored to have had the opportunity to step into those shoes for a moment!

JASPER: What role have you not danced that you really want to? 

ABBY: There are so many! Full length classical would have to be Aurora in Sleeping Beauty because the score is so dreamy, and as a character she really gets to come full circle.  In the neoclassical/contemporary realm I would love to dance in the corps de ballet of Balanchine’s Rubies, anything by Wheeldon or Forsythe, Paul Taylor’s Company B, or Nacho Duato’s Jardi Tancat.

JASPER: What made you want to dance in the Summer Rep Company? 

ABBY: I think that as a dancer it’s important to not only maintain your body as your tool, but to never stop learning and growing as an artist.  This gives me the opportunity to try new things while keeping me moving in the off-season.

JASPER: Do you think dancing in Summer Rep will help you as you go back to your season at CCB this fall? 

ABBY: Of Course!  It’s helped me stay in shape, made me think, and given me the opportunity to move my body in new and different ways. These are all things I’ll take with me into CCB’s upcoming season.

JASPER: What piece or pieces are you most excited about sharing with audiences in this week’s show and why? 

ABBY: I really love the Sam Cook Suite we’re doing because it’s light and happy, and I think there’s a lot of people out there who could probably use some of that energy right now!  It’s also a treat to get to dance to live music and Claire plays so beautifully, so Seven is exciting

CSRDC’s Limitless will premiere two consecutive nights:

Friday, August 13th and Saturday, August 14th, both at 8:00pm at Trustus Theatre.

You can purchase tickets at

https://summerrepdance.bpt.me

7 Questions for Columbia Summer Rep Dance Co. Director & Co-Founder Stephanie Wilkins

 I think if COVID has taught us anything, it's life can be short, and it can be hard, and you better get out there and experience things you've never done before.

Stephanie Wilkins - phot by Kevin Kyzer

The Columbia Summer Repertory Dance Company (CSRDC) was founded in 2019 as an opportunity for Columbia-based dancers to work and practice in their off-season while staying in the city they love and to bring unique performances to Columbia patrons. After a sold-out opening performance in 2019, CSRDC is back with their second annual performance, Limitless.

Jasper, CSDRC’s fiscal agent, sat down with CSDRC’s co-founder and Artistic Director, Stephanie Wilkins, to hear her thoughts about the upcoming performances.

JASPER: How did you feel after your first performance in 2019?

WILKINS: I was just overwhelmed with joy at how well it went and at the support that the Jasper Project and the local community gave us. We only did one night the first time, and we completely sold out and had to turn people away at the door. I’m still so incredibly overwhelmed by that generosity and, of course, so happy that dancers and artists were able to get paid for what they love. I was so excited for the next season, and then COVID happened. But we continued to work through the summer last year with safety precautions. It was actually a good choreographic challenge for me to choreograph with everyone wearing a mask and, of course, no partnering. Both of the dances we made during COVID last summer will actually be featured in this show.

Stephanie with sister chorographer Angela Gallo after 2019 show

JASPER: Who is performing in the show this time around?  

WILKINS: Excluding me, there are eight dancers—four women and four men: Bonnie Boiter-Jolley [who also serves as CSDRC’s co-founder and Managing Director], Abby McDowell, Nicole Carrion, Jennifer Becker Lee, Joshua Van Dyke, Sam Huberty, Nicholas White, and Josh Alexander, who just danced in the most recent Superbowl Halftime with The Weekend. I’m choreographing several dances, and there are three guest choreographers: Dale Lam, who is the Artistic Director of the Columbia City Jazz Conservatory; Angela Gallo, who is the Dean of the School of Visual and Performing Arts at Coker University; and Terrance Henderson, who was the Artistic Director of Columbia’s Vibrations Dance Company’s for over a decade. We also have a couple of musical acts that will function as interludes in between the dances and as part of two of the dances as well: Katie Leitner, who is a local singer-songwriter, and Claire Bryant, who is a cello professor at the University of South Carolina and is currently in the band of Moulin Rouge on Broadway.  

The Columbia Summer Rep Dance Company 2021

JASPER: You didn’t dance last show—what made you dance this time?

WILKINS: Good question. I am seriously terrified. I mean, I'm not so terrified of the group piece, the Carolina Shag, which is just so much fun and serves as a tribute to my dad. But the solo dance is what scares me. You know, I'm a lot older than these dancers—I could be their mother—but I'm not done yet. I'm in good shape, and even though my dancing career is different than it used to be, I can dance. I had two major knee surgeries in the past four years, so maybe I can't do the crazy stuff I could do when I was their age or younger, but I'm more seasoned and more expressive. It's been a very long time since I performed, so I'm really scared but excited too. But you know, you face fear. You're scared as hell, but you do it anyway. That’s why I’m dancing.

Stephanie on Gyrotonic equipment 2019

JASPER: What should the audience expect if they attend a performance? 

WILKINS:Well, right now we’re looking at having at least nine dances, and we may have one or two more. There will be the two musical acts, and altogether the show will probably be about an hour and a half with one intermission. We have a little something for everybody. There’s a lot of contemporary dance and dances that cover the range of the human emotional spectrum. You know, people always joke with me, ‘Stephanie, can’t you choregraph something happy?’ but this is my art and my way of communicating and expressing my own emotions, which of course the dancers make their own and express in their own unique ways. We have a couple lighter pieces, like the shag, which might be the lightest moment of the show. Some pieces are mournful, some are lonely, some are angry.It’s a group of people using their bodies to show the depth of human emotion and how it wears on more than our faces and inner bodies. 

JASPER: Do you have a favorite number or moment in the show? 

WILKINS: We’re still doing tweaks, but I think it's turning out to be a piece called “Seven,” which will be the piece where Claire performs with her cello. It was written by her friend, Andrea Casarrubios, who is a Spanish cellist living in New York, and she wrote it in honor of the 7:00pm hour during COVID in NYC where people would hang out of their windows, come out onto the street, and bang pots and pans and make noise in honor of the heroes, the frontline workers. I mean, I'm dreaming about that piece. I still haven't finished it, you know, I don't want to screw it up. It's such a beautiful composition, and it’s so beautifully played by Claire, and the dancers are exquisite. I'm ending the show with it because even though it's a mournful piece about the pandemic, it's hopeful too because it's about a moment in time where every night people were together—even though they couldn't come together and touch each other, they were celebrating, being alive, and making noise.

JASPER: What made you call the show Limitless? 

WILKINS: I keep a journal where I jot down words that inspire me or might inspire or be relevant to a dance. I sent three choices from these to Bonnie for the title, and we both tended to lean toward limitless. I think all of us can say that we've limited ourselves in our lives in some way, shape, or form. I personally can say that in a lot of different aspects of my life, but specifically the dance world, I feel like I really pigeonholed myself. I was so sure of being a contemporary dancer, and one time my dad said to me, ‘Stephanie, dancers dance. That's what they do. And if you're dancing, you're doing what you love, regardless of if it's your favorite type.’ And I was just so stubborn, but I finally have opened myself up so much to anything and everything that is in the realm of the dance world,challenging myself as a choreographer and dancer. I’ve learned, even though it took so long, that I don't want to limit myself anymore. I don’t think anyone should. And that's where limitless stemmed from.

Stephanie with CSRDC co-founder Bonnie Boiter-Jolley post performance

JASPER: Why do you believe people should experience Limitless?  

WILKINS: Often when I come across people in Columbia, whether clients, friends, or family, they either have a never been to a dance performance or their only exposure to dance has been maybe the Nutcracker as a child. So, this is an experience where if people are the least a bit interested in artistic presentations—whether they like dance or music or art or drama or theater—this has something for everyone. And it’s pretty phenomenal to watch the absolute artistry and athleticism of these dancers. Beyond that, it'll challenge your thinking—it'll make you feel something that maybe you didn't think about before. It'll make you laugh, and it'll make you cry. I think if COVID has taught us anything, it's life can be short, and it can be hard, and you better get out there and experience things you've never done before.This is a good chance to do that in our little, special town—a chance to be limitless, right here in Columbia.

CSRDC’s Limitless will premiere two consecutive nights:

Friday, August 13th and Saturday, August 14th, both at 8:00pm at Trustus Theatre.

You can purchase tickets at

https://summerrepdance.bpt.mehttps://summerrepdance.bpt.me

(Editor’s note: The Jasper Project is serving as the fiscal agent for the Summer Rep Dance Company, and we are encouraging this amazingly hard-working group of artists to start their own 501c3. We believe in them this much! But since this may be the last time we try to raise funds for them under the auspices of the Jasper Project, I wanted to say a little something.

THIS is what art is all about! These dance artists love what they do so much that they are changing the rules and upping the game. Their spirits and their artistic instruments — their bodies — miss dance so much during their off-season that they CREATED THEIR OWN OPPORTUNITY to dance. For themselves and for us.

Right now, we are about $3000 short of our fund raising goal of $12,000. All of the money we raise goes directly into putting on this performance — paying a modest amount to the dancers, choreographers, costumer, and crew with just a little bit toward advertising. Nothing goes to overhead or administration. Nothing to the Jasper Project. No frills.

This is art in its purest form.

So, here’s the humble ask.

If you can, please pat these artists on the back by offering your financial support either by buying tickets ($25 in advance with 3 different donor opportunities through BROWN PAPER TICKETS @ https://summerrepdance.bpt.me) OR visiting their page on this website and clicking on DONATE NOW.

Thank you for doing your part to promote artists creating grass roots opportunities to bring art to the city in its purest form.

Thanks & Take Care,

Cindi

PRESS RELEASE - SUMMER REP DANCE CO. PRESENT LIMITLESS -- TICKETS & DONATIONS AVAILABLE NOW

TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT

BROWN PAPER TICKETS

In its 2nd Season of Performing Columbia Summer Rep Dance Company Announces Two Shows – August 13th and 14th at Trustus Theatre

After taking 2020 off due to Covid-19 the Columbia Summer Repertory Dance Company has united for its second season and will offer two performances of contemporary ballet on August 13th and 14th at Trustus Theatre. Founded in 2019 by Stephanie Wilkins and Bonnie Boiter-Jolley, the purpose of the Columbia Summer Rep Dance Company is to provide innovative dance experiences for local audiences and professional dancers and choreographers who, due to the abbreviated seasons of Columbia’s professional dance companies, go without performing for half the year.

The 2019 season of the CSRDC was a test season engaging six dancers who, after one month of rehearsals, offered a sold-out performance, turning patrons away at the door. Covid-19 led to the suspension of the project in 2020, but the dancers are back in the studio now working on new choreography to bring to audiences for two nights - August 13th and 14th at Trustus Theatre.

Dancers include classically trained Bonnie Boiter-Jolley who, in addition to being a principal dancer at Columbia City Ballet, also danced with Spectrum Dance in Seattle and, locally, with Wideman-Davis Dance as well as internationally in Prague and Italy.

Returning to Columbia is Josh Alexander who most recently performed this year with the Weeknd at Super Bowl LV Halftime Show, on ABC’s Hairspray Live! and So You Think You Can Dance.

Abby McDowell, who is a soloist with Columbia City Ballet along with Nicole Carrion and Joshua Van Dyke, who are demi-soloists with CCB, are also Summer Rep company members as well as Nicholas White, Sam Huberty, and Jennifer Becker Lee.

Head Choreographer Stephanie Wilkins received her MFA from NYU’s Tisch School and has studied or performed with some of the most acclaimed artists in the industry including Bill T. Jones, with whom she apprenticed, David Parsons, and Bebe Miller. Joining her as choreographers for this performance are international award-winning choreographers Terrance Henderson, Dale Lam, and Angela Gallo. 

Internationally acclaimed cellist Claire Bryant will also be performing both solo and with the company, and singer-songwriter Katie Leitner will offer a musical interlude.

Tickets are on sale now for $25 in advance ($30 at the door) as is the opportunity to support the company with a champagne toast pre-performance and more at Brown Paper Tickets or via The Jasper Project website where you can donate to and learn more about the Columbia Summer Rep Dance Company.

https://summerrepdance.brownpapertickets.com

 

http://jasperproject.org/csrdc

Columbia Summer Rep Dance Company Keeps Cola’s Talent Local by Stephanie Allen

“What would have happened had they stayed here — what if that talent had been able to thrive here in Columbia because they were given the opportunity to pursue … what they were maybe really missing out on?

Josh Alexander, Bonnie Boiter-Jolley, Jennifer Becker Lee, Josh Van Dyke, Nicholas White, Abby McDowell, Nicole Carrion - photo — Kevin Kyzer

The Columbia Summer Rep Dance Company brings jobs to dancers and shows to local audiences during the summer months. After founding the company in 2019, Bonnie Boiter-Jolley and Stephanie Wilkins are looking to do “something different.” This summer, after suspending the program due to COVID-19, the company is back with a limited engagement performance on August 13th & 14th of LIMITLESS. 

Columbia only had two professional ballet companies, according to Boiter-Jolley — Columbia City Ballet and Columbia Classical Ballet. Their respective seasons each last from around September to March, leaving half the year vacant of professional ballet for Columbia audiences — and several months without local work for performers.  

photo credit Kevin Kyzer

Boiter-Jolley had long discussed the notion of working through the summer with other dancers at the Columbia City Ballet, but the idea lacked momentum until she started working with Wilkins. That’s when the option of starting a summer company came to life.  

According to Boiter-Jolley, Wilkins had the creativity, energy, and motivation to get the project of bringing dance to Columbia’s off-season started. Wilkins had been an adjunct professor at Columbia College and USC and owns a Pilates studio in Columbia. “I kinda got burnt out in the university world and wanted to supplement my Pilates life with my artistic life and have a dance company of my own,” Wilkins says.  

The Jasper Project serves as the fiscal agent for the Columbia Summer Repertory Dance Company until the organization acquires its own non-profit status.

“We have all this talent in Columbia that has to leave,” Wilkins says, “and we’d rather they stay here.”

After just five weeks of preparation, they were able to raise enough funds to debut their first show in 2019 and were, notably, able to pay both the dancers and the choreographers. Dancers and choreographers often have to find work outside of Columbia during the summer months due to their shortened seasons. “We have all this talent in Columbia that has to leave,” Wilkins says, “and we’d rather they stay here.” 

According to Boiter-Jolley, there’s been a longstanding rivalry between Columbia City Ballet and Columbia Classical Ballet —  a sense of competition that, in her opinion, is “silly,” given the breadth of talent that has originated in Columbia. Columbia dancers have made their way into the New York City Ballet, Broadway, and European companies, to name a few. “What would have happened had they stayed here — what if that talent had been able to thrive here in Columbia because they were given the opportunity to pursue … what they were maybe really missing out on?” Boiter-Jolley asks.  

photo Kevin Kyzer

Boiter-Jolley questions the way in which Columbia limits itself, suggesting that the Columbia professional dance scene has been too strictly defined. Her goal with the new dance company is to create something new that is just as valuable and intellectually stimulating as traditional professional dances.  

Aside from two small pieces that premiered in March, everything for the company’s upcoming season is entirely new. The dancers started rehearsing last summer, wearing masks, spacing out, and taking additional precautions. COVID-19 presented specific challenges to Wilkins as a choreographer, who has a penchant for partner-based dancing. Now that the members of the company have been vaccinated, some of the choreography has been adjusted to allow for more closeness between the dancers.  

Boiter-Jolley intends for their August show to be a “pure and heartfelt” experience for everyone participating, without a sense of competition with other organizations.

This season will feature guest choreographers Dale Lam, head of Columbia City Jazz Conservatory, and Angela Gallo, the dean of the School of Visual and Performing Arts at Coker University, in addition to dancers Joshua Alexander, Abby McDowell, Nicholas White, Nicole Carrion, Josh Van Dyke, Samuel Huberty, and Jennifer Becker Lee. Alexander  appeared in Hairspray Live! on ABC, So You Think You Can Dance, and the Superbowl halftime show. 

The company is now only a few weeks away from its next performance, titled LIMITLESS. Boiter-Jolley intends for their August show to be a “pure and heartfelt” experience for everyone participating, without a sense of competition with other organizations. “We’re doing this because we love it,” Wilkins says, “and we can’t wait to share it with the city.” Both women look forward to seeing maskless dancers on stage, watching their facial expressions of emotion, and seeing the breath that carries their movements.   

“There’s room for all of us,”

Wilkins mentioned the importance of fundraising efforts because, in spite of this genuine passion, the dancers and choreographers deserve to be paid. Based on funds, Wilkins would like to travel with the dancers and take them to international festivals. Additionally, Wilkins would like to see more local collaboration and mutual support.   

NICOLE CARRION AND NICHOLAS WHITE - photo Kevin Kyzer

The women want viewers unfamiliar to the dance scene to watch their performances and feel something — regardless of what that emotion is. They encourage longtime supporters of Columbia dance not to limit themselves, to see something different with them, and, specifically, donate.  

The women are open to conversations and questions from anyone interested in their work and want to avoid competition. “There’s room for all of us,” Wilkins says.

LIMITLESS

AUGUST 13TH & 14TH

8 PM

TRUSTUS THEATRE

TICKETS & SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES HERE 

Columbia City Ballet Concludes Season and Celebrates 60th Anniversary with Return of Fan Favorite Show - The Beatles Ballet!

ADDED PERFORMANCE

FRIDAY EVENING, APRIL 16TH @ 7:30

Anna Porter

 The past season of the Columbia City Ballet (CCB) has been unlike any other in its 60-year history. As for all of us, COVID-19 presented difficult obstacles for the CCB, but leaping over barriers is what dancers are built for.

 After having taken the time to consult with members of the CCB and several public health officials, the Columbia City Ballet has still been able to safely offer 22 performances this season. If there’s ever been a time for art, it’s now, and with costumed masks, adapted rehearsals, and tenacious community, the CCB has risen to the challenge.  

Now, this unparalleled season is coming to an end with a show as special as it has been—The Beatles Ballet. This show, created by Artistic and Executive Director William Starrett, was exceptionally popular when it first premiered in 2018. The effervescent aesthetic of The Beatles and their 60s vibes, coupled with the echoing love for the show, made it the perfect candidate to not only end this season but to celebrate what the CCB is calling their “Diamond Anniversary.” 

“When Beatles The Ballet premiered in 2018, it was instantly a hit with audiences,” Starrett expresses in the CCB’s Press Release, “I had always wanted to celebrate our 60th Anniversary Season with a ballet that means so much to me. After everything we faced, it just makes sense that we would end our 60th season with Beatles.” 

Claire Richardson, Dini Tetrick, Bonnie Boiter-Jolley, and Anna Porter

Sakura Oka

The show is a mix of energies, crafting a braid out of interweaving classic and modern music and dance. “In many ways, [The Beatles Ballet] is among Columbia City Ballet’s most ambitious projects,” asserts Michael Layer, Director of Marketing and Public Relations, “It incorporates talent, artistic styles, and inspiration from all over the world.” 

Putting a show with so many elements together takes a lot of hands (and feet!) and a plethora of talent. The full company is dancing with the addition of 6 guest dancers. 12 choreographers came together to set the tone and craft a through-line of bodies across these themes of old and new, which will be traced across more than 35 songs.  

Live music will accompany the show—the first time since the pandemic started—played by local musician Mark Rapp and his Little Big Band as well as members of The Return, a Beatles Tribute Band. Having live music matches the style of the show, which moves in part like a jukebox musical or mixed-rep show, with dancers’ bodies flowing between many sounds and tones. 

Beyond sharing this creative take on ballet and widely loved music, the “multimedia ballet will follow the story of The Beatles’ careers beginning in the 1960’s and [examine] their cultural impact and the elevation of social consciousness throughout their music,” the CCB states on their website.

The show, which is sponsored by the Lexington Medical Center, will open on Friday, April 16th with a newly added performance at 7:30, followed by performances on April 17th, 2021 at 3:00pm and at 6:30pm. Additionally, in honor of their anniversary, the CCB will be screening a film highlighting their history at the very beginning of the evening show. 

The show will take place at the Koger Center for the Arts, which enforces COVID-19 regulations for the safety of all patrons. Tickets are sold in pairs, seats are socially distanced, and face coverings are required at all times. These tickets, which start at $25, can be purchased at the Koger Center’s website or by calling their box office at 803-251-2222.

 

—Christina Xan

USC Dance Brings Back Live Dance With Spring Concert

Junior dance majors Logan and Lydia Acker rehearse Jennifer Deckert’s original work, A Season of Echoes, on the Drayton Hall stage.

Part of being a student of dance is learning how to dance in front of an audience. For pre-professional dance students at USC’s School of Dance this hasn’t happened since before the COVID-19 pandemic brought much of live performance art to a halt last March.

But this will change when USC Dance presents its Spring Concert next week, February 10 -13 at Drayton Hall.

Like every arts organization that is making a foray into live performance, the dance school is taking enormous precautions to protect the health and safety of their students, staff, and audience. So if you’re really itching to see some live art next week and you’re willing to take a chance, this may be your best bet.

Over the years, USC Dance has given the community innovative choreography that, more than a decade ago, arguably challenged the programs the professional companies in the city were presenting, resulting in a much more 21st century dance diet for audiences. While Columbia still has a long way to go to catch up with other cities of the same size, if not the same arts budgets, the past few years have offered some delicious treats such as Columbia City Ballet’s annual Body and Movement presentation of all new and innovative choreography (coming up in March, fingers crossed.)

For more on what to expect from the performance , check out USC Dance’s media info below.

CB

USC Dance Spring Concert

February 10-13, 2021

Show Times:

February 10-12, 7:30pm | February 13: 2pm

Drayton Hall Theatre,1214 College St.

Purchase Tickets

Tickets available only for the purchase of a single seat or a pair of seats, with single seats priced at $15 for students, $20 for UofSC Faculty/Staff, Military and Seniors and $22 for the general public, and ticket pairs priced $30-$44. Tickets may only be purchased online and will not be sold at the door.

UofSC Dance is back and in-person on the Drayton Hall stage next week!

Featuring three brand-new contemporary works by dance faculty Erin Bailey, Jennifer Deckert and André Megerdichian, the concert will mark the dance program’s first on-stage performances since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Concerts during the fall semester were filmed and streamed online.

To help ensure a healthy environment for all gathering in the theatre, a number of safety measures are being implemented by the department. In addition to socially distanced seating, facial coverings will be required of all audience members, performers and theatre staff. To help ensure distancing, patrons will be seated upon entering the building and asked to leave immediately after the performance. Patrons are asked to monitor their own health and not attend if they have been previously diagnosed with COVID-19 within 14 days, have been in contact with anyone diagnosed with the virus or are exhibiting any symptoms of illness. The theatre will be cleaned before each performance.

Precautions have also been in place during rehearsal, with dancers required to report their temperature and health conditions daily and wear face coverings. Additionally, the choreographers have incorporated social distancing into their works. Dancers are only allowed to be in close contact if they share a living space.

Pandemic-related limitations have directly inspired the creation of Jennifer Deckert’s A Season of Echoes. Set to the music of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, the contemporary ballet explores how the solitude of social distancing has, for many, provided a chance for personal reflection.

“I think this forced stillness that we’ve all been put into allows us to reflect on past experiences and emotional baggage that we may not have had the time, energy or space to acknowledge in our lives,” says Associate Professor Deckert. “It’s very much a reflection of managing this pandemic, managing the social unrest and managing how we’re reflecting on ways of being and interacting.”

The impact of the pandemic has similarly informed Megerdichian, an assistant professor in the dance program. However, his work, Meetings Along the Edge, intends to give audiences a more visceral experience.

“We’ve all been sort of cooped up in these times and that has put us in this state of external stillness,” says Megerdichian. “But, internally the wheels are spinning at 90 miles an hour. I thought what we need is a release of that internal spinning, projected physically.”

Contrasting emotions also fuel dance instructor Erin Bailey’s under. Inspired by a trip to a Berlin museum, the piece brings to light conflicting feelings of contrition and redemption.

“I felt… an overwhelming sense of shame,” Bailey says of her powerful experience with history. “At the same time, I felt very much alive and pure. This experience of simultaneously feeling heavy and light, unclean and clean, inspired me to explore the complexities of these relationships through movement.”

One feeling shared by all of the artists in this concert, choreographers and dancers alike, is a sense of excitement at finally being able to get back on stage

“This is what we live for,” says Deckert. “We’re craving interaction with each other and that creative energy. There are a lot of artists who aren’t able to have that right now and I’m just grateful that we’re in a place where we can.”

“Our hearts feel a little calmer than they had,” she adds, “knowing that we get to be on stage in front of an audience and living the life that we were born to live.”

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 - USC Presents the Stars of New York by Susan Lenz

Perfect Ending: The 13th Annual Ballet Stars of New York

Last autumn I was introduced as the Jasper Project's dance writer and I went about the assignment from the viewpoint of an expert audience member. Various articles covered positive highlights, personal anecdotes, an occasional critical word, and more than a few comments regarding theater etiquette. I talked about applause and standing ovations. Now that the local season is drawing to a close, I can honestly say that the 13th Annual Ballet Stars of New York presented at the Koger Center in concert with the University of South Carolina Dance Program was a perfect ending. To stand and clap for New York City Ballet principals Sara Mearns, Robert Fairchild, and Anthony Huxley after a stirring performance of George Balanchine's Stars and Stripes was wonderful. Students sitting near me were a-buzz with excitement. Compliments drifted in the air.

Some of the reactions were undoubtedly due to the fact that the entire evening included live music under conductor Nyamka Odsuren's baton or on the fingertips of pianist Claudio Olivera. It would have been difficult to miss NYCB principal Ashley Bouder's precise footwork or how she was expertly partnered by principal Jared Angle in Allegro Brillante, another piece performed with permission of the Balanchine Trust. Yet, most impressive was Columbia native Sara Mearns. 

In The Bright Motion, a duet set on Mearns by NYCB soloist and resident choreographer Justin Peck, the audience witnessed exactly what Anna Rogovoy wrote after 2013 Fall for Dance Festival premier:

“I believe that the core of the earth can be found somewhere around Mearns’ spine. Endless length emanates from her center, through fire-dagger limbs and the kind of lines you could write a haiku about; elegant, yet impossibly direct and efficient. She is perhaps the most exciting American ballerina of her generation.”

What impressed me was not only the dance steps and lines but the sense of space between and around both Sara Mearns and her partner, Robert Fairchild. As an installation artist, I am acutely aware of a created environment, the physical shapes suggested by movement, and even the weight of air. The physical space was as electrifying as the two dancers controlling it.

While Columbia’s audience might have come for the NYCB stars, there were other good reasons to enjoy this one-night-only performance. It was a chance to see USC dance students sharing the stage. Both Creative Director Stacey Calvert (a former NYCB soloist) and Artistic Director Susan Anderson should be rightly proud of their talented students. Dance performance seniors Elaine Miller and Lydia Sanders were stand-outs. John L. Green, II from Orangeburg blended perfectly into the cast of ten professional dancers guesting from Columbia City Ballet. In my opinion, William Starrett, Columbia City Ballet’s Artistic Director who was in the audience, should try to grab this young man (now only a junior) as soon as he becomes available.

I couldn’t help but to notice Bo Busby’s excellent partnering skills and the exuberance in Philip Ingrassia’s steps. Both are principals with Columbia City Ballet. Colin Jacob, Camilo Herrara, and Brandon Funk were also excellent partnering USC students in Allegro Brillante. 

Dancing a work from the Balanchine Trust is an excellent line on any dancer’s resume, student or already a professional. These unique works are only presented by arrangement and in accordance with the standards of the Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique® established by the Trust. Columbia’s audience is lucky to have the opportunity to see both the NYCB stars and our local talent in these roles. Writing about the performance is for me the perfect ending to the 2017-18 season.

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

Saying Goodbye: Life and Dance with CCB Prima Ballerina Regina Willoughby, Who Gives Her Retirement Performance This Saturday

Next Halloween might find Ballerina Regina Willoughby in a brand new role: handing out candy to trick-or-treaters instead of frightening Columbia’s audience as Lucy, a vampire in Columbia City Ballet’s annual production of Dracula: Ballet with a Bite. In a recent interview, I asked her about balancing family and holidays, even Christmastime, which in the ballet world is synonymous with Nutcracker season.  

“We were never really big on Santa,” she said. “We gave gifts and did a tree. It was a mad dash during the last week.” For years, Regina relied on her biggest fan: her husband Jason, who works in law enforcement and is currently teaching at the criminal justice academy. Their two daughters are now in college (though one also dances in the company as an apprentice). Regina remembers Jason escorting his girls dressed in homemade Halloween costumes. One year there was Tomb Raider Lara Croft.  Another year, Pippy Longstocking. Once Jason had to call from the hospital when a daughter had appendicitis. Regina never missed a show.

This coming year will be different. Regina retires after Saturday’s two performances of Cleopatra. The shows are at 1:30 PM and 5:30 PM Saturday, March 24, 2018. Plenty of family will be in attendance, including a few aunts, uncles, and cousins coming from Texas and Colorado. Some have never seen Regina dance. 

We talked about how exciting this weekend will be but also about special moments in her career and her future plans. 

Regina favorite ballet costume was worn portraying Titania from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. She felt regal in its flowing green chiffon. She’s not a big fan of the classic short tutu, though she owns one. It was especially made for her to dance as Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty. Costumes aside, Regina’s best day on the job was the lead in Romeo and Juliet. To describe her magical time in this tragic role, Regina said, “The music started and I blinked my eyes and the curtain went down. The music carried me throughout.”

Dancing enchanted roles for so many years came with sacrifices. Too many friends got married at weddings she couldn’t attend. There was little time for gardening and travel. Regina is looking forward to these things, but also to skydiving and snow-skiing, risky activities that might have jeopardized her career. She has already signed up for summer sailing lessons. Yet, the biggest change can be summed up in a single word: Saturday. The life of a professional ballet dancer at Columbia City Ballet generally includes Saturday rehearsals from 11 – 7. 

Of course, Regina isn’t giving up on dance. She opened a dance studio ten years ago and will continue teaching most evenings. She hopes to find more performing opportunities for her students and will consider character roles for herself, parts that don’t require pointe shoes. She will also have more time to reconnect with dancers and friends who have retired before her. I reached out to some and asked for well wishes and fond memories. The responses are below and in the comments.

“Regina is the epitome of beauty and strength. She completely immersed herself into each role she danced. It was so inspiring to work with her every day. A wonderful example of a Prima Ballerina.”  Laura Lunde, Ballet Tucson

“Regina is an absolute professional on stage and in the studio. She possesses a certain level of integrity and warmth that every dancer in the studio couldn't help but admire.” Emily Carrico, Atlanta Ballet

“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 you dearly and I wish you the best in your retirement! Love, William Moore Jr.”  Former soloist with both Columbia Classical and City Ballets and former dancer with Rochester City Ballet

“I had the amazing privilege of working with Regina Willoughby in 2011 when we performed as guest artists for Carlos Agudelo at Ballet Spartanburg. It was an opportunity to not only witness Regina's incredible physicality and work ethic but her humbleness, joy, kindness, and enthusiasm in the studio and on stage. Working with Regina pushed me artistically and inspired me greatly at that time. I felt I needed to work much harder to achieve what she did/does so effortlessly. Regina embodies movement and delivers exquisite soul-filled performances. Since that time I have not worked with a more open, generous and pure spirit. Thank you Regina for all of your years and investment. Our time together was truly memorable.” Carolyn Bolton, Rambert Dance Company, London England

“If there’s anything I can say about Regina is that her talent it’s only matched by her wonderful and kind and loving personality. The last time I danced with her, I asked her to join me for a Nutcracker guesting appearance in Florida. We had absolutely amazing time. She’s incredible in every way and a beautiful person in and out.” Norbert Nirewicz, freelance dancer
 

REVIEW: Columbia City Ballet's Body & Movement - by Susan Lenz

To Each Their Own: Body & Movement Explored

Yesterday morning I sat at my laptop and composed a glowing review of Columbia Classical Ballet’s one-night-only production of Don Quixote. I knew that just twenty-four hours later, I would be putting words together in another dance review, one for Columbia City Ballet’s Body & Movement Explored. I attended Saturday’s show, the second in a two-night engagement at Columbia Music Festival Association’s black box theater on Pulaski Street. I went hoping the dancing would be as wonderful as the evening before. After all, it is far easier to write compliments than it is to write critical comments.

For the most part, I was not disappointed. More importantly, I learned a lot. Some of what I learned was about the creative ideas at work in a choreographer’s mind. There was a casual but informative talk-back session after the dancing. I also learned that my opinions might be 180 degrees apart from other knowledgeable dance fans, but that doesn’t mean any of us are more wrong (or right!) than the other.

What do I mean by that? Well, I ran into a friend who had also seen Don Quixote the night before. Unlike me, though, my friend found the entire performance boring and lackluster, not at all of the quality they expected from a professional company. We exchanged our impressions. Both of us acknowledged valid points from one another. Neither mind was changed, but it was certainly an engaging and worthwhile conversation.

Body & Movement Explored was an evening that easily showcased works one might totally love or absolutely hate. The person sitting next to you could easily hate the one you loved and loved the one you hated. As for me, I really disliked Philip Ingrassia’s Together Apart. In the talkback session, Philip announced that not only was this the third reiteration of the piece, but that he was greatly satisfied with where it was at and how intended to expand the piece into a full, fifteen-minute number. I was also not a fan of Stephanie Wilkins’ Ache. The three couples often looked awkward in movements that otherwise suggested the intention should have been flowing ease. To me, more rehearsal time was needed.

I found Martin Skocelas-Hunter’s In Good Company boring enough that my mind wandered. His concept was obvious. A group of four women danced side by side, doing the same steps as if an amateur recital. This was followed by four men doing exactly the same thing. The audience was to consider the difference in interpretation between men and women given the same choreography. As my mind wandered, I could almost see how this concept could be translated into a first-rate contemporary art film. What at first I found unexciting became ripe with possibilities. This is why evenings exploring body and movement are so important; Without a stage on which to experiment, choreographers work in the dark.

Though I’ve mentioned works I didn’t particularly enjoy, more than half the fourteen works presented were quite entertaining. This includes Good Eats, a tap-dancing duet choreographed and performed by Jordan Hawkins and Claire Richards to the live music by composer/trumpeter Mark Rapp and drummer Brendan Bull. The music was the title track to Rapp’s 2011 release paying homage to legendary saxophonist Lou Donaldson and the performance let the room know why Rapp was recently designated the Jazz Ambassador of Columbia and the State of South Carolina by the SC House of Representatives.

Both of Rachel Leonard’s works were wonderful to watch and showed a wide range of expressiveness. If I had known beforehand, I would have been predisposed to this opinion. Why? Well, Rachel Leonard is one of two founders of Surfscape Dance Troupe, a professional contemporary company in Volusia County, Florida. I saw them perform at the Joan James Harris Theater at the Atlantic Center for the Arts before their 2014 tour to Sadler’s Wells in England.  It wasn’t until the talkback session that my memories seemed to coincide with William Starrett’s story of meeting Rachel Leonard, as well as her story of going to Paris after her company’s performance in England. The first half of the program ended with Café de Courtieser L’Ecart, Leonard’s playful recollection of her trip. It was grand!

Yet the most intriguing number of the night for me was Amanda Summey’s Rock, Paper, Scissors, “Gun Emoji” set to Mendelssohn’s Movement in G Minor for Nicole Carrion, Jordan Hawkins, and Colin Jacobs. This was a work that ought to be further explored, expanded, and performed. The piece powerfully illustrated how differences of opinion can lead to intractable, unresolved tensions, not unlike the varying impressions left on audience members after any dance occasion

Miranda Bailey’s duet for Bonnie-Boiter Jolley and Maurice Johnson was ethereal. Unfortunately, Bailey finale, Origin of Love, would have benefited from a larger space. Still, it was so exciting to see dancers smiling, full of energy, and showing off spins and leaps as if cast in a Broadway musical about a high school performing arts school. Perhaps nothing from the evening will go on to fame, but being in the audience was fun and the ensuing conversations were stimulating. I hope my impressions initiate an interest in local dance, whether one agrees with me or not! We are all entitled to our own opinions and the community will grow if we share, explore, and learn from one another.

Full Disclosure: Jasper Magazine's former Dance Editor, Bonnie Boiter-Jolley, is a soloist with the Columbia City Ballet. 

REVIEW: Columbia Classical Ballet's Don Q - by Susan Lenz

 

Audience Needed

I’d been looking forward to Friday’s one-night-only performance of Don Quixote by Columbia Classical Ballet all season, especially after seeing portions of it during last month’s Studio Series preview. Why? Well, I’ve only seen the full ballet once. 

It was a long time ago, 2005, but a very memorable experience. The Bolshoi, accompanied by its own orchestra, came to Wolf Trap theater outside Washington, DC. At the time, world renown Alexei Ratmansky was the artistic director. Many consider him the best choreographer working in the world today. He’s a MacArthur fellow and current artist-in-residence with American Ballet Theater in NYC. Ratmansky was trained at the Bolshoi, the company for which Don Quixote was originally choreographed back in 1869 by ballet's greatest classicist Marius Petipa. Most performances today are based on Alexander Gorsky’s derivative 1900 choreography, but that was for the Bolshoi too. So, Don Quixote by the Bolshoi, I can pretty much say that I once saw “the best of the best”.

Don Quixote is performed in either three or four acts with at least eight scenes of bravura, emotionally charged character dancing, flashy use of fans and capes, a hot Mediterranean aura, and a pumped-up score by Leon Minkus. The story comes from episodes found in Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote de a Mancha, a tale of unattainable humanity, chivalric romance, and the impossible dream of justice. In the ballet, The Man of LaMancha is really part of the background. The innkeepers’ flirtatious daughter Kitri and her love, Basilio, are are center stage. The ballet is full of humor and lots of variations for the casts’ female dancers plus one of the most frequently performance full pas de deux. That’s why I know the ballet so well.

Over the years, I’ve seen parts of this ballet literally hundreds of times. There are at least six female variations performed in international competitions and the wedding scene is generally on every gala program. Odds are, if you’ve been to Columbia Classical Ballet’s annual LifeChance gala, you’ve seen part of the production as well. Thus, when I say Friday night’s performance was wonderful, trust me!  You should have been there! It was undoubtedly the best ballet performance in Columbia this season.

Radenko Pavlovich, Columbia Classical Ballet’s artistic director, should be rightfully proud of his talented company. They were so good that even the few flaws were wonderful. A fan was dropped but the dancer showed no sign of concern. She waited for the perfect moment to pick it up, as if the accident was part of the choreography. Dancing to canned music sometimes causes problems too. There are variations in which the movement begins before the music. With an orchestra, the conductor is to watch the dancer and know precisely when to bring down the baton. With canned music, timing is tricky, not always perfect. A missed cue happened, but I doubt most in the audience knew. The dancer in question was so well rehearsed that he was flawlessly back with the music within seconds. 

The highlight of the evening was watching Nao Omoya as Kitri. Not only is she a technically brilliant dancer who makes every move look effortless but she’s a lovely actress. Her energy seemed to increase with the physical demands of the ballet. Her double fouettés in the final coda were world-class. Koyo Yanagishima partnered her beautifully and his boyish charm was evident throughout.

Now, I know there were lots of other cultural events going on last night, including another opportunity to see dance. But, it is a shame that every seat in the Koger Center wasn’t filled. This was a performance that deserved a full house and a standing ovation. I left the theater wondering about Don Quixote’s unattainable quest for chivalry and a better, more just world. In Columbia, dance companies have their own unattainable quest:  finding an audience to fill the seats. I was happy to occupy one, and I hope my previews and review for Jasper Project might assist in awareness for local dance and filling seats in the future because occasionally, like last night, Columbia’s audience has a chance to see “the best of the best” right here in the Midlands.

REVIEW: Columbia City Ballet's Off the Wall and Onto the Stage by Susan Lenz

Dancing the Art of Jonathan Green

For me, writing a review of a one-night-only performance is difficult, especially since my viewpoint is as an expert audience member. No matter what I say, there’s no chance for others to attend the show to agree with me or not. So, I’m approaching this review from another angle. I’m comparing last Friday, February 9th performance of Off the Wall and Onto the Stage: Dancing the Art of Jonathan Green to earlier productions of the same show. I’m hoping that this article will explain why the public should see any ballet more than once. Ballets, even the classical ones, change over the years, from season to season, from cast to cast, through new costuming and staging and even through new choreography.

Columbia City Ballet’s Off the Wall has undergone plenty of changes since it’s 2005 premier. I attended that lavish February 4th opening at the Koger Center and largely agreed with the New York Times review which stated, “The evening seems short on specifics of Gullah life, let alone the evocation of actual characters” and went on to note a lack of coherence in the choreography and a disconnect between the two acts. That was thirteen years ago. 

Since that time, Artistic Director William Starrett has been polishing the show. In fact, this signature production is occasionally presented in a scale-down version as it was during the summer of 2014 for the 39th annual national assembly of The Links Foundation, an international nonprofit. That forty-two minute performance outside Washington, DC for an audience of 4,000 earned the company $50,000.  The first act vignette, “Love of the Harvest” to Marlena Smalls’ “Carry Me Home,” is frequently performed alone. I saw Amanda Summey and prima ballerina Regina Willoughby dance this remarkably touching piece last month in remembrance of Coralee Harris, a long-time arts supporter and former chairman of the board for the ballet company.  Basically, Off the Wall has been an active part of Columbia City Ballet’s repertoire since it debuted and is constantly being refined. 

The second time I saw the production was in 2011. Changes, especially in the second act, improved the experience. Individual personalities better emerged in the Silver Slipper Dance Hall and an interior church scene was added as a final number. Jonathan Green’s paintings, dance, and choral music brought the audience to a standing ovation then and again last Friday night. 

I generally complain about Columbia’s audience rising to their feet when the curtain falls as if a requirement, but it was impossible to stay seated in the crescendo of energy brought about by dancers popping up and down in their pews to high-spirited vocals by Elliott Hannah and singers from the Claflin University Gospel Choir, the University of South Carolina, ATOF, and Benedict College.  The show ends very, very well, especially in a space as open as the Township Auditorium. Audience and performers melded into a singular celebration.  It was terrific.

Other highlights include billowing fabric from which Regina Willoughby magically appears, Maurice Johnson striking a pose so perfectly that it suggests he modeled for Jonathan Green’s Fishing Break, and Amanda Summey’s feisty character in “He Treats Your Daughter Mean”. It was also a pleasure to see guest principal dancer Paunika Jones return to Columbia.

Most important to the success of this ballet is the way large-scale scrims of Jonathan Green’s painting really do come to life. Even from the 2005 debut, this difficult task worked. Translucent backdrops give way to specific places and characters. Yet, the spacious Township Auditorium seems to dwarf these backdrops when compared to their impact at the Koger Center. Fortunately, a multi-media projection off-set this spatial concern and actually showed even more of Jonathan Green’s low country images. Overall, the change in venue made the performance new and fresh.

The next time I see Off the Wall and Onto the Stage, there will be other changes.  How do I know this?  Well, in 2005 I had the pleasure of watching former prima ballerina Mariclare Miranda.  The New York Times liked her too, describing her as “an elegant classical dancer (who) proves that some exalted titles are not merely honorific.”  Later this season Regina Willoughby will retire, too.  Therefore, the future will bring another dancer to sizzle in Little Esther Phillips 1962 R&B hit “Please Release Me”.  I will look forward to that show.

PREVIEW: Puck Luck - Colin Jacob Has It in Columbia City Ballet's Upcoming A Midsummer Night's Dream by Susan Lenz

"Puck luck" is a hockey term that refers to those factors which influence the outcome of a game that do not involve the strategy and skill of the players.

When Columbia City Ballet and the full South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Morihiko Nakahara perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Koger Center this coming Saturday night, January 27th, Colin Jacob will be the envy of many hopeful dancers. He’ll be wearing green and dancing his first principal role. Plucked from the corp de ballet by Artistic Director William Starrett, Colin will use his acting background from high school musical theater and gymnastics to bring Shakespeare’s “merry wanderer of the night," Puck, a mischievous but shrewdly knavish sprite to life.

The role is demanding. It requires lofty leaps, whirling turns, and even a bit of tree climbing. The speed of the scherzo leaves the dancer breathless but insists on an immediate return to stage as if the activity was all in the course of a normal day. A clever but impish character must be maintained despite the grueling pace. This is Jacob Colin’s challenge. He has videotapes from previous Columbia City Ballet seasons, including one featuring Jose Serrano in the role. I remember that show well. In fact, I know the ballet rather well. William Starrett’s 1987 choreography is inspired by Sir Frederick Ashton’s from 1964. I’ve seen that version too. I know that Puck is the audience favorite. I was happy to hear that Colin Jacob is working hard to do as well or even better than those who have already performed the fun but rigorous role here. This is his “big break”. Some might even call it “Puck Luck”.

Perhaps “Puck Luck” was involved. No one could have predicted the strategy that would find the originally cast dancer no longer with the company, that Colin would unexpectedly be told to learn the part after rehearsals had begun. Perhaps “Puck Luck” was involved because Colin’s skill doesn’t come with more than a decade of dance training, something generally expected for a principal part. Yet, my interview told another story.

At seventeen, Colin was asked to help a local, amateur show in his hometown of Brecksville, Ohio.  They needed a male dancer. Without prior dance experience, Colin stepped up to the plate, continued lessons, and earned a scholarship to Pittsburgh’s Point Park University, one of the country’s top programs. He earned his BA in only three years and accepted a trainee position with Ballet West in Salt Lake City. This was after winning scholarships in 2013 and 2014 from Youth American Grand Prix, an international amateur dance competition. No dancer climbs the ladder of success so quickly without natural ability, a great work ethic, and tremendous daily effort. 

My interview with Colin revealed him to be a most articulate young artist who is looking forward to performing to live music.  He said that as a dancer, live music makes the show “feels like the first time because it isn’t exactly like a tape recording. Music is a cultural plus.”

(Please note, child prodigy, Felix Mendelssohn wrote the overture as a seventeen year old in 1826 and added his incidental music, Opus 61, sixteen years later for the production of Shakespeare’s play. The score includes the now, traditional “Wedding March”, generally heard as brides walk down aisles. This melody was adopted by Princess Victoria in 1858 for her wedding to Prince William of Prussia.)

Of course Columbia City Ballet rehearses to a tape recording. There’s no other way to do it!  For Colin, each rehearsal is getting easier and easier, but he is quick to add that each one reveals another fine point for him to work on. 

I am quite sure that Colin Jacobs will be bringing a memorable performance to the stage.  I wish I could see it, but alas I’ll be teaching a fiber arts workshop in Alabama. More than for myself, I hope Colin’s parents are able to make the arrangements. Like Colin, they weren’t expecting “Puck Luck”, a big break for a very likable and talented dancer. Thankfully, many will be in the audience especially to see Colin. He regularly teaches dance at Southern Strut, Columbia City Jazz, Richland Northeast High School and at Columbia Music Festival Association where he also media coordinator. 

Accepting the corps de ballet position with Columbia City Ballet, along with his other dance related opportunities, has provided Colin a level of financial stability. He bought a car and is paying off student loans. More importantly, our local dance company has provided amazing performance opportunities and the potential for upward mobility.  Whether “Puck Luck” was involved or not, Saturday’s performance is more than a “big break” for a single dancer. It is a big break for people in Columbia is watch the start of a winning young talent.  It is a fabulous opportunity to see our full company perform to live music. I’ve focused this preview on just one dancer but there are many. Go see for yourself! It will be worth it!

Tickets for the 3:00 PM matinee and the 7:30 PM evening performances on Saturday, January 27th are available at:

http://www.kogercenterforthearts.com/event.php?id=535

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