FHS, Town talent aplenty with ORCBA
Strong Farragut presence for OR ballet’s annual ‘The Nutcracker’ Nov. 18-19 at Oak Ridge High School
Preston Garland of Farragut is president of the ORCBA board and a dance parent of daughter, Adalyn Garland.
Farragut High School performers will be seniors Josie Braun, Elaina Conger and Lily McDonnell, juniors Lily Egner and Autumn Mullins and sophomore Addison Doss, along with Farragut Middle School eighth-grader Henry Williams.
Other Farragut residents who are home-schooled or attend a private school also participate. They will be among 83 youth dancers who will be joined by Francisco Aguilar and Carly Hammond, professional dancers from the Georgia Ballet, who will perform during the 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday shows.
Among ORCBA’s artistic directors is Molly Quist of Farragut. ‘Their job is being in charge of the choreography and the lighting and everything associated with the performances,” Preston Garland said.
“The Nutcracker” features local dance students, ages 6 and up, from area dance studios.
Seniors share, other info
As for Conger, “I’ve been dancing with them for 10 years,” she said. “I actually did the Oak Ridge Dance Camp one summer. And then they have a whole show at the end and they talked about ‘The Nutcracker.’
“So I auditioned for it in the fall and I’ve been doing it ever since,” the senior added. “… I’ve actually been a (camp) counselor for a couple of years, so that’s fun. It’s usually in the beginning of June.”
As for the performances each year, “It’s just it’s really rewarding seeing how we go from the first rehearsal, learning all of the choreography, to tech week and show weekend, putting everything together on the stage,” Conger said.
When it comes to helping another performer develop an interest in ORCBA, “Elaina Conger definitely did,” McDonnell said. “We were best friends in middle school. And I was actually dancing with a different studio at the time. And my teacher quit. And so I was telling her, ‘I don’t know where to go.’ And so she invited me to her studio and to see one of the Oak Ridge shows at the time. It was ‘Into the Woods,’ I think it was called.
“And I watched it and I just I signed up for the next Nutcracker audition,” McDonnell added. “My first season was the 2018 Nutcracker. So I was in seventh grade. … So (Conger) was definitely the one who got me there. And she got the rest of our regular students to do it a couple of years prior as well.”
What’s so special about ORCBA? “It’s not as competitive as other ballet schools,” McDonnell said. “Like a lot of other ballet schools, you have to audition just to be considered. But ORCBA is more open auditions and everybody that shows up gets a part. And if you put your time in, then they, like, spread the love and they give everybody good parts. And it’s just a fun way and a more low-pressure environment to have the fun parts without all the stress.”
Tickets for the public show range from $10 to $25 and may be purchased at orcba.org or at the door. A shortened “school show” will be performed for school, church and senior center field trip groups during school hours on Friday, Nov. 17. Tickets for the school show are $5 and can be reserved at orcba.org.
For those students interested in trying out for ORCBA, visit orcba.org
