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About Us York County Ballet – Celebrating 30 Years of Dance Performance
The York County Ballet was founded in 1978 by Doris McClellan, who had previously served as Artistic Director of the Greenville Civic Ballet in Greenville, SC. The first Nutcracker was performed to a sold out crowd of over 3,000 people in Byrnes Auditorium on the campus of Winthrop University, and became the beginning of thirty years of ballet performance in York County. When Mrs. McClellan retired, her daughter, Anne Blackwell, was named Artistic Director. Under Mrs. Blackwell’s direction the company has grown significantly, currently including approximately fifty youth and adult members. The Company’s repertoire includes Coppelia, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, The Wizard of Oz, Hansel and Gretel, Alice in Wonderland, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Peter Pan, and, of course, The Nutcracker. In addition to its classical ballet repertoire, the York County Ballet has a growing contemporary repertoire. The Company commissions the choreography of an original piece each year by a professional choreographer which becomes a permanent part of this contemporary repertoire.
The
York County Ballet performs
two productions each year, including an original ballet or a ballet from
the classical repertoire, and The Nutcracker during the holiday
season. In addition, the York County Ballet performs at numerous local,
state, and regional events. The Company is invited to perform annually
in the BalletFest in Atlanta, GA, the Charlotte Dance Festival, and
Piccolo Spoleto’s Dance Festival in Charleston, SC, and performs
biannually as part of the South Carolina Dance Association Gala. The
Company has also made appearances at regional events such as Come See
Me, ChristmasVille, and Holiday Lights in the Garden at Daniel Stowe
Botanical Garden. The
York County Ballet has
toured Europe twice, performing in Florence, Italy, and Paris, France,
during one of these tours.
York County Ballet members
have been selected by audition to participate in state and national
summer and academic year residential training programs, including
American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, Caroline Calouche and Company
Broadway Dance Theatre Workshop with Ann Reinking in Santa Fe, New
Mexico, South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities,
North Carolina School of the Arts, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Ballet
Magnificat, and Winthrop’s ST-Arts program. © 2005 - 2008 -
York County Ballet
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