CityViewNC.com | 33
M
ichelle Courie appreciates the air
of authenticity that surrounds the
Charlotte Blume School of Dance,
located, since 1964, in a decades-
old, two-story building in Haymount.
"It's the kind of studio I expect you would find
if you were walking along the streets of New
York," said Courie, whose 9-year-old daughter
Mary Elizabeth achieved the milestone this
year of performing "en pointe."
ese days, the vintage feeling at the
studio mixes with the bustling comings
and goings of baby mice, flowers,
snowflakes, harlequin dolls, the Sugar
Plum Fairy, Clara, Drosselmeyer and
a host of other characters preparing
for the 52nd annual production of
the North Carolina State Ballet's "e
Nutcracker." Public performances are
scheduled for Dec. 11 and 12 at 3 p.m. at
the Crown eatre. Even better, with the
help of grants and contributions from
parents, the tradition continues for
every Cumberland County fourth
grader to have the opportunity to
see the classic production Dec. 3,
6 and 10.
Ella Lewis, as the Sugar Plum Fairy,
with Adam Chavis
BY KIM HAST Y
Charlotte
Blume's Legacy
Endures in 52
nd
"Nutcracker"
FEATURE
