By David Rogers. BOONE, N.C. — Getting into the Christmas season will come easily for the High Country this year as The Project Dance Foundation brings “A Carolina Snowbelle Christmas” to the Appalachian Theatre with four shows Dec. 6-8, and one more opportunity to see the dance spectacular on Dec. 14, at the Ashe Civic Center, in West Jefferson.
Anyone who has taken in the previous Christmas performances of the talented Snowbelles will know what fun and sensory delights to expect. Anyone who hasn’t — well, let’s just say they are in for a treat, to be sure.
Preview Video
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1noQ2BG2KfKhxoJsC8nKec-65dF_b_l5z/view?usp=sharing
A precision dance team formed in 2015 under the umbrella of The Project Dance Foundation, the Snowbelles incorporate tap and jazz styles while teaching teamwork, self-esteem, mentorship and community involvement skills. The mission is to equip and encourage dancers age 10 and up in this unique style of dance through training and performance opportunities.
Founder and executive director Cheryl Cutlip said, “The Carolina Snowbelles are a 100 percent scholarship program. Participation is obtained through an audition process and based solely on merit.”
Cutlip went on to explain that the troupe trains for three hours weekly, appears in local parades as well as puts on various community and theatrical performances, including “A Snowbelles Christmas.” The team has performed on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and in the middle of New York City’s Times Square for “Project Dance,” a day-long, free, open-air dance concert involving as many as 30 dance companies from around the U.S.
A Mix of Old and New
“This year’s Christmas show takes the audience on new adventures,” said Cutlip. “It features a cast of 30 new, emerging and established artists gracing the stage in a series of elaborately choreographed works, dancing their way through Arctic glaciers at the North Pole to the city streets of Manhattan in New York City.”
Cutlip shared that the show’s opening number, “Christmas Cheer,” features a young professional singing artist, Asher Saab, from Raleigh, N.C. Then the Snowbelles take a trip down Memory Lane with two signature routines, “Sing” and “Merry and Bright,” then celebrate what she calls the sisterhood of the Snowbelles in “Sisters.”
Returning to this year’s show is “Nutcracker Twist,” what Cutlip calls “… a contemporary take on the classic music we all love and hold dear.”
There will once again be a flurry of penguins in “Arctic Adventure,” but new this year is “Sparkle-Jingle.”
“That adds a pop of colored twinkle lights and a swing tap dance frenzy,’Jinglebelles’ created by Stephanie Brooks Martin and featuring Asher Saab,” said Cutlip.
This year’s show also features Los Angeles-based singing artist Sacha Calson, who makes his debut in Boone singing, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” “Winter Wonderland,” and “Carolina in My Mind.” Calson is best known for his role as “Nick” in the Netflix series, “Julie and the Phantoms.” He recently released his first single and music video, “Remnants of a Fallen Star.” The music video features Calson as well as Carolina Snowbelles alum and Blowing Rock native, Ava Jean Cutlip.
The Show Schedule
- At Appalachian Theatre, 559 West King Street, Boone, N.C.
- Friday, Dec. 6, 8 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 7, 1:30 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 7, 5:30 p.m.
- Sunday, Dec. 8, 2:30 p.m.
- At Ashe Civic Center, 962 Mt. Jefferson Road, West Jefferson, N.C.
- Saturday, Dec. 14, 2 p.m.
Cheryl Cutlip, founder and executive director of The Project Dance Foundation and principal organizer of the Carolina Snowbelles, is a North Carolina native who began her early professional career at Opryland USA and Tokyo’s Disneyland. She is a former member of the New York City-based “Rockettes” and assistant choreographer of The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, dancing with the group from 1993 through 2008.
