Eclectic mix of dancing, music to mark OCB productions of ‘Nutcracker,’ ‘Polar Express’

The performances will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13, and at 11 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14, at Cornerstone Church located at 1481 Chestnut Street in Orangeburg.

The OCB is celebrating the 32nd annual performance of “The Nutcracker” and the third year of “The Polar Express,” offering the community something special for all ages with an expanded cast and a diverse array of music and dance styles.

“It’s always exciting each year to see how we can make it a little bit different, a little bit more fun, whether it’s in trying new things, maybe some special effects, or just changing up characters from what the audience might expect,” said Shannon Williams, one of the production’s choreographers.

She said the goal is to give the production “a fresh and interesting take” each year.

“I understand that ballet cannot be for everyone. Even though ‘The Nutcracker’ is always a classic, ‘The Polar Express’ has been such a fun addition these past few years. We’re always trying to make it even more fun,” Williams said.

She continued, “We have some fresh new music in ‘The Polar Express’ this year that I think the audiences will recognize as some holiday favorites of theirs that they’ll really enjoy.”

Williams said an expanded cast will be among the production’s differences this year.

“We have 10 more company members than we had last year, and we have 20 more open younger dancers, our littlest ones, that are in the show. So it’s going to be a huge production,” Williams said.

She continued, “We have an older company this year. So we have a lot of upper level dancers, meaning that technically it’s more difficult dancing and hopefully more entertaining dancing. I hope that there’s some more laughs and surprises and, like I said, new music that the audience will enjoy.”

The cast includes seniors Patrick Bradley, Lily-Katherine Felkel, Aniyah Green and Samantha Tomson. Savannah-Rose English will bring the role of Clara Silberhaus to life.

Felkel said she will portray the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy and a party mom in “The Nutcracker,” as well at the role of the Ice Spirit in “The Polar Express.”

“This year, I am just very excited about Sugar Plum and all my other roles. The Sugar Plum is just that role that every little ballerina wants to get. I’m very honored that I get to portray that this year,” Felkel said.

The 17-year old said this year’s production will be something the community will enjoy.

“For a long time we used to do only do ‘The Nutcracker,’ which is strictly ballet and point. That can be really entertaining and a really beautiful experience for some people, but for others it can be seen as almost not as entertaining. So with the addition of having ‘Polar Express’ in there, we have mulitiple styles of dance,” Felkel said, including jazz and contemporary.

Mikayla Ryder, another member of the artistic team, said the productions are better than ever.

“Our artistic staff has worked so hard to make this the best performance yet. The dancers have been incredible, putting in so much effort. We hope that everyone enjoys these special shows as much as we do,” she said.

General admission tickets are $10. Individuals can purchase tickets at orangeburgcivicballet.org or at Tamalyn’s Dance Centre. For more information, contact the OCB at 803-533-0017 or by email at orangeburgcivicballet@gmail.com.