For Mary Elizabeth Courie, having the lead role in the North Carolina State Ballet production of “The Nutcracker” was a dream come true.
And then some.
“I’ve been in ‘The Nutcracker’ for about six years,” says Mary Elizabeth, 10, the ballerina who was tabbed for the role of Clara in performances of the holiday classic staged Dec. 2, 5, 9, 10 and 11 at the Crown Theatre. “I was excited when I found out I would be Clara. I cried. I wanted this role my whole life.”
And having her father participate just made everything all the better.
“She convinced her dad to be a ‘dad’ in the party scene,” mother Michelle Courie says. “They needed some ‘dads’ for the play, and Mary Elizabeth asked David if he would participate. Ballet is something she loves, and he welcomed the opportunity to spend time with her.”
A fifth-grader at Village Baptist Academy, Mary Elizabeth had some help from her ballet friends at Charlotte Blume School of Dance in Haymount. Those friends were Lydia Weldon, Sophia Lewis and Emmalee Smith, and a host of other ballerinas too.
David Courie says he was picking up Mary Elizabeth from ballet practice in October when she was insistent that he come into the studio.
“She said she wanted to show me one of the new dance routines,” he says. “I get in there and I see a sign that said, ‘“The Nutcracker” starring Bruce Hammill and David Courie.’ I’m going inside and hear all these girls running past me. They all gather, and there were about 30 girls sitting there, including Mary Elizabeth.
“Daddy,” Mary Elizabeth said, using her mother’s charm, “will you please, please dance in ‘The Nutcracker’?”
It was Act 1, the party scene that called for a waltz.
“I’m a dancer,” says the 52-year-old Fayetteville attorney. “Get me on the floor dancing to ‘Brick House,’ I’m listening and my body starts moving. When you have to do these steps, that’s a different ballgame.”
Ella Lewis is a ballerina herself, and in addition to her role in the play as a Sugar Plum Fairy, Lewis was an instructor for the fathers and mothers who took part in what has become a Fayetteville holiday tradition since 1969 under the late Charlotte Blume, who died at 85 on May 11, 2016.
“He did a great job,” says Lewis, who choreographed the ballet with Emmalee Smith and Dina Lewis, director of the dance studio that was founded in the mid-1950’s by Blume. “He was very natural on stage. It was kind of like he was meant to be onstage. We spent hours rehearsing. There were about five dads and three moms. We had quite a few parents.”
‘I danced alongside of her’
David Courie says he wouldn’t change anything about being a part of the ballet and seeing his daughter perform.
“It was worth it,” he says. “It just all came together, and to be 10 feet from her in front of 2,000 people. I danced alongside of her. I was like a witness onstage when I got out there watching my 10-year-old.”
And a joy seeing his daughter’s dream come true in the lead role of Clara.
“Mary Elizabeth has been taking dance since she was 2,” he says. “Ever since her first participation in ‘The Nutcracker,’ her ballet dream was to perform in the lead role as Clara. She put in hundreds and hundreds of hours for the part this year. She hopes to continue dancing and perform on even a larger stage in the years ahead.”
He was impressed, too, with all the ballerinas.
“They’re running and they dance on their toes, and they are spinning nonstop,” he says. “They are holding their breath. They are maintaining a level of poise and grace.”
Epilogue
Mary Elizabeth says every performance was a lot more interesting because of the parents, including Donna and Ricky Kennedy, Tiffany Ketchum, Andy Dualan, Casey Yoklic and Bruce Hammill.
“He and Bruce Hammill made it a lot more fun, and there was a lot of excitement,” Mary Elizabeth says.
Still, she sees her father onstage.
“It was nice to have him there when I needed him,” Mary Elizabeth says. “I hope we can do it for years to come.”
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
