Christ Church Nutcracker – A Tradition that Keeps on Giving

By Maggie FitzRoy

Felicia Rhoden believed her days of teaching dance were over when Rector Jim Cooper asked her to teach ballet at Christ Church. She was 57, and considered herself retired, having just moved with her family from Atlanta to Ponte Vedra Beach.  

But retirement didn’t suit Miss Felicia, so she accepted Rev. Cooper’s offer, and that Christmas of 1996 led her first 17 students in dancing The Nutcracker for family and friends.

She has been choreographing and directing performances of the traditional holiday story about a young girl named Clara and her Nutcracker prince every year since. This year’s show, to be held 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14 at the University of North Florida’s Lazzara Performance Hall, will be Christ Church’s 29^th Nutcracker, featuring 125 dancers, most of them children and teens.

Now 86, Miss Felicia is still going strong, and looks forward to next year, when she can celebrate the 30^th anniversary of her dance ministry that raises money for charity.

“One of these days God will pat me on the shoulder and say, ‘it’s time to put your tutu away,’” she says tells people who ask when she’ll retire for good. In the meantime, she’s having too much fun offering the joy of dance to children at the church, where she and her teachers offer classes in ballet, tap, hip hop and more throughout the year.

Miss Felicia is grateful for the many dedicated volunteers who help make The Nutcracker a success every year, including her daughter and backstage manager, Claire Duffy; her costume coordinator Carrie Lantzy; and Dawn Jacobs, who helps with communications, “and much more.”

Last year’s Nutcracker raised $25,000 through ticket sales for several charities that help children, including Dreams Come True, Community PedsCare hospice, Amistad Orphanage in Bolivia, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Many of Miss Felicia’s dancers begin taking classes at a young age and continue through high school because they love dancing and love dancing to help other children.

This year’s Clara, 13-year-old Bria Ragatz, has been dancing in The Nutcracker for 11 years, starting as a Cherub when she was two. Following in the footsteps of her sister, Anya, who was Clara several years ago, Bria says she’s “very excited” to dance the lead role.

Eva Lantzy, 17, has been performing in The Nutcracker since age 3, and as a senior in high school, tears up when she thinks about this being her last show. “It’s bringing joy and the Christmas spirit to others,” she says. “It’s magical to watch it and it’s magical to be in it.”

For tickets, visit www.missfeliciasdance.com