Orangeburg Civic Ballet played host to a special guest when Gray Davis of the American Ballet Theatre dropped by Tamalyn's Dance Studio.

Davis, of Greenwood, was in Orangeburg recently to visit family during the ABT's summer hiatus. He scheduled several hours of his time to meet with local dancers and offer guidance and instruction.

Gray attended the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, where he studied for four years under Stanislav Issaev. After graduating in 2004, he was named the Grand Prix winner at the Youth America Grand Prix finals in New York. After two years with the ABT's Studio Co., he was apprenticed to the main company of the ABT in 2006 and is currently a member of the ABT Corps de Ballet.

Gray led OCB senior dancers in an advanced technique class and held a small partnering session for the principles, who will be performing a pas de deux in this year's production of "The Nutcracker," which will be presented Dec. 13-14 at the Martin Luther King Jr. Auditorium on the campus of South Carolina State University.

"It was a thrill for our young dancers to study with such an accomplished performer," said Tamalyn Blackman, artistic director of the OCB. "Gray was so generous with his advise. All of the dancers just loved him."

After leaving Orangeburg, Gray traveled to the South Carolina Governor's School to spend a few days with the dancers there before returning to New York City and the ABT.

Special to The T&D

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