BOONE, NC – For the fourth consecutive year, having experienced sold out performances in each of their first three seasons at the Appalachian Theatre of the High Country, “A Carolina Snowbelle Christmas” returns to the venerable, state-of-the-art facility with an expanded performance schedule of four public performances and an encore family event to enhance their standing as the region’s newest must-see family holiday tradition.
This stage spectacular takes audience members on new adventures and dancers tap dance their way from the Arctic glaciers of the North Pole to the city streets of Manhattan in New York City with a cast of 32 new, emerging, and established artists gracing the App Theatre stage in a series of elaborately choreographed works.
Four live performances are scheduled to “kick-off” (pun intended) the 2023 holiday season beginning with an 8 p.m. curtain on Friday, December 1 and continuing with two Saturday shows at 3 and 7:30 p.m. on December 2 and a closing matinee performance at 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 3. Tickets for all four events range from $18 to $30 each and are now available 24/7 via the App Theatre’s online ticketing system at www.apptheatre.org. Note that customers can avoid online service fees by visiting the lobby box office between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. from Tuesday through Friday, or one hour prior to showtime for each performance.
In addition, the second annual “A Carolina Snowbelle Christmas Tea Experience” will take place after the Sunday performance from 4 to 7 p.m. in the festively decorated Community Room above the lobby area of the landmark venue at 559 West King Street in downtown Boone, NC. There is a link on the App Theatre website to reserve seats for this family-friendly event.
The 2023 edition of A Carolina Snowbelle Christmas will begin on a 1940s style radio show where we meet the cast as they sing and dance to Christmas City while highlighting the unique Snowbelle-Sisterhood. A largest ever cast of Snowflurries (the troupe’s youngest members) will tap and kick us into an Arctic Adventure where we mingle in style with penguins, snowmen, reindeer and, of course, Founder Cheryl Cutlip as “Mamma Snowbelle.”
Brand new is a 12 minute scene called “The Nutcracker Twist ” as conceived by Brooke Handy. Her unique creative vision will send you into some unexpected but sweet landscapes of contemporary choreography. Joining her is choreographer Ava Jean Cutlip with a precision version of “The Sugarplum Fairy.”
Returning to the stage this year by popular demand is Bradley Parquette’s touching work “Silent Night.” The dancers celebrate the true meaning of Christmas and the wonder of the season with a memorable piece by Sarah Matzke titled, “Joyful, Joyful.” The program also includes Krista Saab Bennett’s humorous “Man with the Bag,” in addition to a few surprises tucked into the show that audiences are sure to enjoy.
The Carolina Snowbelles are a precision dance company formed in 2015 under the umbrella of The Project Dance Foundation, a movement of dancers seeking to positively impact culture through artistic integrity. Precision dance incorporates tap and jazz styles while teaching skills of teamwork, self-esteem, mentorship and community involvement. Their mission is to equip and encourage dancers aged ten and up in this unique style of dance through training and performing opportunities.
Founder and Executive Director Cheryl Cutlip says, “The Carolina Snowbelles are a 100% scholarship program and participation is obtained through an audition process and based solely on merit.” The troupe trains for three hours weekly and appears in local parades, community and theatre performances, and as far away as Washington, DC where they performed on the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in December 2018 and New York City where they performed at Project Dance Times Square in 2022.
A North Carolina native who began her early career at Opryland USA and Tokyo’s Disneyland, Cutlip is a former NYC Rockette and Assistant Choreographer of The Radio City Christmas Spectacular, dancing with the group from 1993 through 2008 and appeared in one-on-one interviews with Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer, and Larry King.
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For more information about The Carolina Snowbelles, visit the organization’s website atwww.thecarolinasnowbelles.com. For tickets, go to the box office at www.apptheatre.org
Courtesy of The Carolina Snowbelles
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