Derrick Ballet Conservatory
The Return of The Nutcracker
story by ERIN WALLACE photos by PAUL NURNBERG
It’s that time of year when the holidays are passing us by with tremendous speed! Though Christmas isn’t till next month, the excitement stirring in Beaufort for the long-awaited Nutcracker Ballet cannot be denied. It will be performed by dancers from all over the world (yes, world!) under the leadership of a classically trained ballerina, Melissa Derrick: founder and owner of Derrick Ballet Conservatory (DBC) in Beaufort. The last time this show was performed was pre-pandemic, in 2019, so this is a big deal. You will not want to miss this year’s performance! Impressively, Melissa’s studio is still new to the community as its doors were just opened in March 2019. DBC started with 22 dancers and a mission to build the local ballet community. Now, it has over 150 dancers! The Nutcracker will showcase close to 100 dancers from DBC and other local studios, who are spreading the holiday magic in Beaufort a month early. Oh, how lucky we are!
As for the ballerina that started it all, Melissa Derrick was born in Leme, Brazil, a small town in the state of São Paulo, where she began dancing at age 6 in a ballet conservatory. Although Melissa made her way to the United States in 2000, it was in 2007 when she officially became a U.S. citizen. Melissa’s daughter, Gabi O’Quinn, danced as well and is now in college studying to be a dietician (just like her mom). Gabi was also a dancer and even performed in the Charleston City Ballet Nutcracker at age 5! Melissa is married to Dr. Carl Derrick, who practices with Beaufort Memorial Lowcountry Medical Group, and has three sons: Heyward, Crosson, and Stuart. Melissa has felt supported since day one by her big, beautifully blended family, and looks forward to having them cheer for her dancers during the long-awaited return of The Nutcracker.
Although 2018 was the first time a community Nutcracker had performed in Beaufort in ages, it was 2019 when The Nutcracker became a nonprofit with a board of directors who Melissa cannot rave enough about. It’s these women who help Melissa run The Nutcracker without a hitch. The six of them have raised over $30,000 in funding from generous donors and fundraising events for this year’s performance — an impressive amount! These funds are secured mainly through local sponsors and individuals who want to support the classical art of ballet. Then there are brilliant ideas like sponsoring a specific dancer in the production, auctioning painted ornaments and decorated pointe shoes from local artists, and unique experiences including floral workshops with FarmCity Flowers and spirit night at Hearth Wood Fired Pizza. Bangs Salon even put on a special event last month, where they pampered “princesses” and had a special guest appearance from Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy herself! It requires almost a whole year of organized planning and support, which if you think about it, makes logical sense with auditions being held in May and then rehearsals beginning in the middle of August. Talk about hitting the ground running and with great success, might I add!
Each year The Nutcracker is performed, the dancers become more and more skilled, and new dancers are added to the production. For the first time, there will be two Sugar Plum Fairies and two Clara’s cast for the two performances. Also, there is an elevated level of difficulty in this year’s longest dance, the Waltz of the Flowers. In past years, the dancers wore ballet flats, but this year they will be bringing out pointe shoes for the 7-minute number! Did I mention that some of the dancing flowers are only 10 years old? The full cast includes dancers from age 5, all the way up to age 74!
Dancers were hired from all over the world to come perform for our special little town. The first dancer Savyo Nunes, who wins for the longest distance traveled, is from Brazil and is from Melissa’s home studio. They even practiced under some of the same teachers. He will be hard to miss because he is the nutcracker himself! Another skilled dancer — Bret Coppa from Atlanta — will dance with the Sugar Plum Fairy as the Cavalier and perform one of the hardest dances in the production. Lastly, Albert Busby, a dancer from Charleston, who also teaches at DBC and helped choreograph The Nutcracker’s “Battle Scene,” is performing the Arabian Pas de Deux. As for the rest of the dances in the show, Melissa choreographs it all.
Melissa and the cast have been working day and night to make the 3rd Annual Beaufort Community Nutcracker special for our Lowcountry families and friends. The performances will be held in Beaufort High School’s auditorium on Saturday, November 19, at 7 p.m., and then again on Sunday, November 20, at 3 p.m. The tickets have been on sale since October, so drop everything you’re doing and run to get your tickets, don’t walk! You can buy tickets at www.etix.com/ticket/o/11860/beaufortcommunitynutcracker, or visit the Beaufort Community Nutcracker’s Facebook page. I hope to see you there!
