In 1961 a group of citizens led by Ann Brodie founded Columbia City Ballet and offered the first performance by this civic ballet in 1961. Over the following years, CCB presented many ballets including their first full-length Nutcracker production in 1966, and subsequently The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Swan Lake, and Coppelia, with Ann Brodie as the company’s first Artistic Director.

In 1977, William Starrett made his first guest appearance in A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream, and in 1980, Columbia City Ballet’s only Prima Ballerina in its history, Mariclare Miranda, danced her first Sugar Plum Fairy. In 1986, and with Starrett now its Artistic Director, Columbia City Ballet moved its headquarters to its current location in the Columbia Conservatory of Dance building at the corner of Main and Taylor Streets.

Determined to bring world-class ballet to Columbia, Starrett set forth on the task of transforming this small, civic ballet troupe into a fully professional ballet company. It goes without saying that this goal has been not only met but exceeded. In the ensuing years, William Starrett, through his never waning passion for the art and his indomitable spirit, has created what has frequently been described as a cultural icon. Pursuing an aggressive touring schedule and creating wildly popular ballets such as Off the Wall & Onto the Stage: Dancing the Art of Jonathan Green, Columbia City Ballet has burst out of the confines of the city of Columbia and now maintains regular schedules of appearances in Sumter, Charleston, Florence, Lancaster, and Hartsville in addition to Savannah, Georgia, Hamlet, North Carolina, and Avon Park, Florida. The Company has toured to 11 different states and continues to gain national interest and recognition.

This extensive touring schedule was key to the decision by the Board of Directors to rebrand the Company as South Carolina Ballet. Many people are unaware that there are 29 other cities also named Columbia, creating a great deal of confusion about exactly who we are when on tour. So, our rebranding is a by product of our great success. While we are excited about all the opportunities rebranding holds, we are in no way abandoning our rich history and legacy.

All the most important aspects of Columbia City Ballet remains at the core of South Carolina Ballet and our core values remain unchanged. Each day our professional dancers rehearse in the Ann Brodie Studio here on Main Street. Our Prima Ballerina, Mariclare Miranda will continue to teach Company class and coach dancers for specific roles in our repertoire. We will still produce all our fan favorites including Dracula: Ballet with a Bite, Nutcracker, and Off the Wall. We will always be the home of the brightest stars of our past, names such as Sylvia Dansby, Pat Miller, Victoria Cholkas, Peter Kozak, Erin Jaffe Gardner, Anthony Hampton, Tabitha Garner, Taber Cathcart, Betsey Clark Ruff, Katie Smoak, Claire McCaa, and Regina Willoughby, and a fertile ground for the stars of our present and future.

In short, we are not saying goodbye to Columbia City Ballet at all, but rather we are embracing our future as a critically acclaimed Company, and one of South Carolina’s cultural ambassadors.

To everyone who has been a dancer, staff member, board member, volunteer, or audience member, rest assured that your contributions to Columbia City Ballet are honored, revered, and will never be forgotten. We invite you all to come grow along with us as we celebrate our past and plan for our future as South Carolina Ballet!

Dates denote first performance by the Company

Classical Full-Length Ballets

Swan Lake — 1965
Nutcracker — 1966
The Sleeping Beauty — 1966
Giselle — 1968
Cinderella — 1973
Coppélia — 1975
A Midsummer Night’s Dream — 1977
La Sylphide — 1979
Romeo & Juliet — 1984
Don Quixote — 2000

Original Full-Length Ballets

Snow White — 1988
Dracula — 1991
Ballet Tara — 1993
Aladdin — 1994
Beauty & the Beast — 1994
Pocahontas — 1995
The Hunchback of Notre Dame — 1996
Don Juan — 1997
Dracula’s Revenge — 1998
Frankenstein — 2000
Off the Wall & Onto the Stage: Dancing the Art of Jonathan Green — 2005
The Lion King of Mali — 2005
Cleopatra — 2007
Hootie & the Blowfish Ballet — 2008
The Little Mermaid — 2009
The Little Prince — 2012
Alice in Wonderland — 2013
Peter Pan — 2016
Emanuel: Love Is the Answer — 2017
Beatles, the Ballet — 2019
The Great Gatsby — 2020
Motown Ballet — 2022
Studio 54 — 2023
Elvis Ballet — 2024

Educational Outreach Ballets

Bunny Trouble — 1990
Beauty & the Beast — 1992
Santa and the Littlest Angel — 1992
Snow White — 1994
Hansel & Gretel — 1995
Frosty — 1996
Cinderella — 1996
’Twas the Night Before Christmas — 1997
Where the Wild Things Are — 1997
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer — 1998
Holidays Around the World — 1999
Jack Frost — 2000
The Hunchback of Notre Dame — 2000
Scrooge — 2001
Alice in Wonderland — 2001
Jonathan Green: Kids for Kids — 2005
Pocahontas — 2006
The Lion King of Mali — 2009
The Little Mermaid — 2011
The Sleeping Beauty — 2013
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town — 2015
Goldilocks & the Three B’s: Bach, Beethoven & Beyoncé — 2017
Ferdinand the Bull — 2019