In just under two weeks, a cast of more than 40 company dancers and extras from Orangeburg and the surrounding area will present the 16th annual Orangeburg Civic Ballet performance of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker."

Performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 16, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium on the campus of South Carolina State University.

This year's production will feature colorful new costumes and exciting choreography by Assistant Director Ginny Hunt-McElveen, Cammie Reed, Jennifer Shull, Ann Marie Holstad, Adolfina Suarez-More, The Royal Ballet and Ann Brodie.

In the classic story of young Clara's Christmas dream filled with visions of danger and delight, Carly Harward will dance as Clara Silberhaus with Matthew Waters returning in the role of the Nutcracker Prince.

The Arch Angels -- Amy Funderburk, Christie Gonzalez, Emily Thompson, Shekinah Thompson and Marissa Southerland -- introduce the pair to the Kingdom of Sweets, where Allison West and Erica Walters share the roles of Sugar Plum Fairy and Arabian Coffee. Shannon Williams performs as Spanish Hot Chocolate; Emily Harrold dances lead in Chinese Tea; and Samantha Whitman appears as the Russian Sugar Twist. Jennifer Coffey dances lead in Marzipan Confections.

For West, the role of Sugar Plum Fairy is extra special, as she performs her final year in "The Nutcracker."

"I really wanted it for my senior year, because the last two years were amazing," she said. "I like to leave with a bang."

She said "The Nutcracker" has been a major part of her life, and it's hard to imagine Christmas without it.

West plans to attend Winthrop University and major in dance education. She said she hopes to return to Tamalyn's Dance Center as an instructor.

Harward, dancing as Clara, is an eighth-grader at Carver-Edisto Middle School. This year marks the 10th performance for her and her father, Craig Harward.

Carly Harward first appeared on stage as Raggedy Ann in a 1997 Junior Part-Time Players production. She loved watching the ballerinas so much that she began taking ballet and is currently in her 10th year of dance.

She said it's fun seeing her father all the time, and "The Nutcracker" really makes her Christmases special.

Craig Harward began helping backstage with the Orangeburg Part-Time Players in conjunction with the Orangeburg Civic Ballet in 1997. He said when the former Mother Ginger, Fred Boatwright, asked him to takeover after an eight-year reign, Harward willingly accepted.

Mother Ginger is a giant gingerbread house that dances onto the Sugar Plum Fairy's court, opening her skirt as eight little gingerbread children come out dancing and circling around her.

"That was the first time I had to dress up like a woman, as Mother Ginger," Harward said, adding that he's always a little afraid of stepping on the little ones hiding under his dress. "It's enjoyable, but it's stressful, because you have to be responsible for the children so no one gets hurt."

Harward said his role as Mother Ginger over the years has made him well-known to many youth in the area.

"It's nice to walk around town and have kids around town calling you Mother Ginger," he said. "I got a lot of little kids running around here, and it's nice to be a role model."

This year is not only Harward's 10th anniversary working with his own daughter -- it also presents an opportunity for a reunion with another dancer.

West, who performed as Clara several years ago, will perform as her older sister, Louise Silberhaus, in addition to her role as the Sugar Plum Fairy this year.

"It's kind of like a little reunion to have a former Clara and my daughter on stage," Harward said. "It's always fun to get to perform and do things with your family."

The entire Harward family is active with the OPTP and the OCB. Harward's oldest daughter, Kayla, assists with lights and sound; his son, Daniel, is one of the Party Men in the party scene, and his wife, Lisa, works backstage in word processing.

"It just starts our Christmas season and puts us in the Christmas mood," Harward said.

Shekinah Thompson performs as Victoria, one of Clara's friends. Thompson is the recipient of the Orangeburg Civic Ballet's Arabesque Scholarship.

In order to qualify for the scholarship, Thompson was required to have studied dance at least one year, reside in Orangeburg, Bamberg or Calhoun counties, and complete an essay telling how much she loves to dance.

As the recipient of the Arabesque Scholarship, Thompson received tuition matching up to three ballet classes per week.

Thompson, a seventh-grader at C-EMS, has appeared in "The Nutcracker" as Clara, an Arabian harem, a soldier, an angel, a lamb and a bon-bon. This is her ninth year studying dance. She is currently a student at Point of Grace in Lexington.

Thompson said her love for dance comes from the feeling she gets on stage and how much fun it is being around her friends. Thompson said she hopes to dance professionally one day.

A native of Charleston, Blackman founded the Orangeburg Civic Ballet Inc. in 1993 with 14 company dancers as a non-profit, volunteer, community dance company. It has since grown to nearly 40 dancers 8 years of age and older.

"It think this is going to be our best ever," Blackman said of this year's "Nutcracker." "I've never felt this secure about a performance."

The cast has been preparing since October and has had a total of nine Saturday practices, she said.

"The fact that the dancers have done so much and how well they have pulled together to work it out is amazing," she said.

Tickets for "The Nutcracker" are $8 for adults and $5 for senior citizens, students and children. Tickets will be available at the door or in advance at Tamalyn's Dance Centre or from any "Nutcracker" dancer. For more information call Tamalyn's Dance Centre at 803-533-0017.

T&D Features Writer Candace Newson can be reached by e-mail at cnewson@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5540.

You must be logged in to comment.