Charleston has had a somewhat rocky past when it comes to ballet. Back in 2013 one of the Holy City’s oldest companies, the Charleston Ballet Theatre closed up shop. After 26 years, the ballet theatre was forced out of business due to unpaid tax debts among other causes. In 2014, after over 30 years of performing for Charleston’s Piccolo Spoleto Festival, the Robert Ivey Ballet company changed its name to the Charleston City Ballet in order to better represent the City of Charleston.
Now North Charleston has named its own official ballet company. On Oct. 5, the City of North Charleston will be holding a press conference at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center to announce its new partnership with the South Carolina Ballet. Originally known as the Columbia City Ballet, the South Carolina Ballet has been operating out of the state capital since 1961 and will now be known as North Charleston’s official ballet company. To celebrate this event, members of the company will be performing “Carry Me Home”, a portion of “Off the Wall: and Onto the Stage, Dancing the Art of Jonathan Green.” The press conference guest list includes Mayor Keith Summey, William Starrett, the South Carolina Ballet’s Artistic Director, and Alan Coker, the Director of Marketing for the NCPAC. All three will be available for questions from the press.
Partnering with the South Carolina Ballet is just one more step up the ladder of success for the NCPAC. The Ballet performs about 90 times annually across 50 South Carolina cities. With a team of 35 professional dancers, the South Carolina Ballet is the oldest and largest performing arts group in the state. Since it opened its doors in 1999, the NCPAC has hosted hundreds of celebrity musicians, festivals, and art shows, dramatically accelerating the art scene in North Charleston.
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