Columbia City Ballet will be performing Cinderella at the Koger Center March 26 and 27.
The 2019-2020 season was cut short because of the initial COVID-19 lockdown measures, days before Columbia City Ballet was scheduled to perform Cinderella at the Koger Center in Columbia. This upcoming will be the first time Columbia City Ballet will bring Cinderella to the Koger Center stage in more than 5 years.
“Last season, it seemed like the world was coming to an end. Everything was shutting down and within 2 hours our season was over,” Artistic and Executive Director William Starrett said.
“I’m not a superstitious man, but having our season cancelled on Friday the thirteenth didn’t sit right with me.”
Columbia City Ballet has transitioned seamlessly into performing in the COVID era. To accommodate public health measures on stage, they changed the setting of Nutcracker during the 1918 Spanish Influenza outbreak to incorporate mask-wearing and social distancing as a part of the production. Columbia City Ballet has also been working in coordination with the Koger Center and top epidemiologists at the University of South Carolina to make sure that public health measures can be implemented to keep audience goers safe.
“In 2019, we made a promise to our audience that we were going to perform Cinderella at the Koger Center and while a pandemic has forced us to wait a year, we are fulfilling that promise,” Starrett said. “Having to cancel our season early last year was devastating, so this year’s performance sends a clear message that not even a global pandemic can stop the ballet.”
Columbia City Ballet will perform Cinderella March 26 at 7:30 pm and March 27 at 3 pm and 7:30 pm at the Koger Center for the Arts. Tickets range from $25-$52 and are available online at www.kogercenterforthearts.com or by calling the box office at 803-251-2222. Tickets are only sold in pairs to adhere Covid-19 social distancing protocols and face coverings must be worn at all times.