OUR HISTORY
The Orangeburg Civic Ballet was established in 1993 by Tamalyn Blackman with 14 dancers in the company. Originally the company was known as the Orangeburg City Ballet and was housed at the Zimmerman Center in Orangeburg. In 1996, the company moved to Tamalyn's Dance Center on Springdale Street in Orangeburg and the name was changed to the Orangeburg Civic Ballet (OCB).
The first ballet production the Orangeburg City Ballet participated in was The Nutcracker performed with the Junior Orangeburg Part Time Players. Joint productions continued for several years, and in 1999, The Orangeburg Civic Ballet launched its first full length production of The Nutcracker. This production has grown and has become a favorite tradition for the Orangeburg community. In 1998, OCB presented its first spring performance, Alice in Wonderland. Since that time, the ballet company has performed Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia and Cinderella. Original works include Peter Pan (2012 & 2018), Wizard of Oz (2014 & 2019), Alice (2015), Mary Poppins (2016) and Star Spangled: An American Girl's Journey (2017),as well as Tammy and the Geek (2010), a short ballet created for the Orangeburg Civic Ballet by Cammie Bunch. Spring productions have also included opportunities to highlight the versatility of the OCB dancers after being taught by guest choreographers and Master teachers. In 2016, the company celebrated its 25th year anniversary of Nutcracker productions. During the 2018-2019 season, the 25th year anniversary as Orangeburg Civic Ballet Company was celebrated with an alumni luncheon and recognition of alumni during the Nutcracker performances.
Company members have had opportunities to enrich and expand their dance education through master classes and summer intensives throughout the United States. Today, the Orangeburg Civic Ballet has grown to more than 60 dancers aging from ages 8 through adult. School performances, appearances at various other venues including Piccolo Spoleto, Showcase Orangeburg, the North Charleston Arts Festival and Voorhees College, have given the dancers opportunities to perform classical ballet and other forms of dance. In 2012, studio C was added to Tamalyn's Dance Centre, and the company began utilizing it.
