By Kaitlan Morehouse
There are many events that are going on this weekend, but SudioK, the company that brings you “The Nutcracker” every winter, is featuring Disney princesses in “Once Upon A Princess.”
The ballet performance will be held tomorrow, Saturday, April 30, at 7 p.m. in the Appalachian State’s Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts.
Tickets will be $14 for adults and $8 for children. You can reserve your tickets here or call 828-262-4046 or 800-841-2787.
There will be three performances directed by Studio K Owner Cay Harkins, which will feature condensed stories of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel.

The princesses will be played by Caroline Louvins as Sleeping Beauty, Tess Snider as Cinderella and Olivia Handley as Rapunzel.
The performances are geared toward young children to adults.
There will be music from classic ballets of Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella and original music from Rapunzel.
“Cinderella is a classic Disney movie and a very tough ballet to perform. I’m looking forward to embracing the picturesque qualities of the show, but also conquering a classic performance,” said Snider. “As a senior, this will be my last performance with Studio K, and I cannot thank Mrs. Cay enough for giving me the opportunity to dance as Cinderella.”

There will be 300 local people in the performance and over 400 costumes in the show.
“We have people in the performance who have been performing for us for three to four years,” Harkins said. “We’ve been around for quite a while.”
The company is the same one who features “The Nutcracker” every Christmas at the ASU Schaefer Center. Every spring, it features a different performance from “Beauty in the Beast” to “Alice to Wonderland” to “Once Upon A Princess.”
“We have a rather extensive repertoire that we rotate between in the spring,” Harkins said.
“This year, even more than a lot of our spring shows, it’s really a spectacle,” said Olivia Handley. “There’s a lot that goes on — beautiful costumes, the set pieces are gorgeous and there’s a lot of really engaging scenes for the audience. I think they’ll stay interested and really enjoy the whole performance.”
There will be backdrops that have been brought in from California.
“We always make sure we have a lot of special effects so that it is entertaining,” said Harkins.
“The hair for me is my favorite part!” Handley said. “It’s about 8-9 feet long and it’s tied to my costume. It’s a really fun prop to have, so I really get more into the character that way. Learning how to dance with that was really fun, and I think it will be really cool for the audience to see.”
The company always sticks with the storyline so that everyone can follow it.
“People will enjoy this show because it incorporates a variety of stories that draw in the audience. “Once Upon a Princess” featuring Cinderella, Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty will be an enjoyable show for all ages,” said Snider.
Harkins gears the performances to be able to have something fresh and new every year and not just for little girls.
“This will be my last performance with Studio K and I think I will definitely miss Studio K — it’s been a big part of my life, so I’ll probably get emotional at the end,” Handley said. “It’s been a great way to grow up and I’m very happy to be ending my senior year on such a good note with such a great ballet, great people and with Cay as a great dance teacher and leader in my life.”
Studio K is located at 289 Daniel Boone Dr.
Visit studiokdancer.com or contact Cay Harkins at 828-265-6621 or cayharkins@gmail.com for more information.


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