The Land of the Sweets takes on new holiday magic this year.
The name of the performing company, the performance venue, some of the choreography and a few of the dancers are all new to the Augusta Ballet’s rendition of The Nutcracker.
“We are really excited to be in the new theater,” said Ron Jones, artistic director of the Augusta Ballet, which is the performance arm of the Columbia County Ballet School. “It’s really good to be in Columbia County.”
The classic Christmas ballet will be performed at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 10, at the newly-opened Columbia County Performing Arts Center. A few tickets still remain, but Jones said they’ve been selling fast.
Jones’ ballet company has been under several names since its inception and has performed The Nutcracker since the mid-1990s in different venues including Augusta University’s Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre and the Imperial Theatre.
He said he’s impressed with the new space in Columbia County and is thrilled at how “local friendly” the Columbia County Performing Arts Center is. It’s a great space for community-based theater and dance groups to perform not just for outside acts coming into the area.
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“It’s beautiful,” he said. “The backstage area is great.”
The stage is larger than the one the company has performed its Nutcracker on in recent years.
Some of the scenes have been rechoreographed by Michael Viator, who, along with his wife, Olivia, joined the company earlier this season. Michael Viator has revamped the Waltz of the Snowflakes.
“He has dancers darting and flying and spinning” just like a flurry of snowflakes would, Jones said.
The Viators will dance together in the Arabian number, he said.
The performance also brings some graduates of the program back to the stage. Gracie Hill returns to dance the role of the Dew Drop.
Jones said he’s excited to see all the elements come together for the new chapter in the ballet company’s history.
He’s also thrilled to be carrying on the legacy of the name the Augusta Ballet this season, he said.
Limited tickets are available for the performance at thecenterofcc.com.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
