For more than two decades, Regina Willoughby’s career unfolded on the stages of Columbia City Ballet, now South Carolina Ballet. Her repertoire ranged from the Sugar Plum Fairy to Juliet, encompassing the classical and dramatic roles that became part of the company’s history. In this 2018 profile from SCETV’s Original SC, she reflects on the art form to which she devoted so much of her life. PBS
Her connection to ballet began early, but it was seeing a performance of Nutcracker at eight years old that drew her back to dancing after a brief introduction as a younger child. In the profile, Willoughby describes ballet as an unusually complete form of expression, demanding concentration, physical commitment and an artist’s emotional investment. South Carolina ETV
Over her years with the company, she performed Arabian, Snow Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy in Nutcracker; Maiden and Lucy in Dracula: Ballet with a Bite; Cinderella in Cinderella; Juliet in Romeo & Juliet; and Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty. These roles placed her at the centre of stories both familiar and fantastical. PBS
Her career also included close involvement in the creation of original work. William Starrett created roles for her in several of his ballets, including the title role in Cleopatra, Mina in Dracula’s Revenge, and featured passages in Off the Wall & Onto the Stage, among them “Sand Dance” and “Daughters of the South.” South Carolina ETV
Alongside the performances, Willoughby’s reflections return to the persistence that sustains a career in dance.
“Ballet has taught me that perseverance and grit, not giving up, will take you wherever you want to go,” she says. South Carolina ETV
For audiences who remember her performances, this archive feature offers an opportunity to revisit the artist behind those roles. For those discovering her work for the first time, it is an introduction to a life shaped by dance.
Watch the Profile
Watch Ballerina Regina Willoughby from SCETV’s Original SC on PBS. The feature runs 8 minutes, 5 seconds, with closed captions available. The PBS listing is dated April 17, 2018
