By Amanda Mlekush
Looking for a great way to kick off the holidays? Performances of the 2023 “A Carolina Snowbelle Christmas” will be offered at the Appalachian Theatre on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and App State faculty, staff and students can show their App Card to purchase discounted tickets at the theatre’s box office.
The Carolina Snowbelles have a special connection to the Beaver College of Health Sciences through Director of Health Professions Advising, Celeste Crowe, a former performer in the precision dance troupe and administrative director for the Snowbelles since 2015.
It was about 10 years ago when Crowe’s love of dance and childhood dream of being a New York City Rockette led her to dance lessons in Blowing Rock from Cheryl Cutlip, a former Rockette (1993-2008) and founder of the Carolina Snowbelles.
In 2018, Crowe was part of the Carolina Snowbelles troupe invited to perform at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.
“Performing at the Kennedy Center was such an amazing opportunity; it was almost like a dream that I would have never even thought to have had,” said Crowe, who has taken dance lessons since she was three years old. “I had fought back through some health issues and recovery from surgery to be well enough to dance at the Kennedy Center.”
(Image Provided shows the Carolina Snowbelle troupe that performed at the Kennedy Center; Crowe is the seventh dancer from the left.)
Wearing a classic-inspired ensemble, the troupe performed a one-hour show at their Kennedy Center performance, with Crowe dancing in several of the acts.
“Being able to perform at the Kennedy Center taught me a sense of community and family; in precision dance, you have to play into everyone’s strengths,” she said. “The other thing I learned through the process is the extensive amount of work it takes to bring a professional level dance production from creation to performance.”
Since then, Crowe has stayed connected to the Snowbelles in the role of administrative director where she coordinates cast communication, assists with rehearsals, organizes volunteer needs and works backstage during the show to make sure everything goes smoothly.
The holiday production offers some elements of the familiar, but includes new elements each year, Crowe said. To find Crowe, you’ll need to look backstage as she works tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the production runs smoothly.
