Love Heavenly: Thank You
November 11, 2025
30 Years of the Christ Church Nutcracker - By Maggie FitzRoy
When Christ Church parishioner Felicia Rhoden first choreographed and directed The Nutcracker with 17 young dancers in the old parish hall, she never dreamed she would still be putting on the magical holiday performance 30 years later with ten times as many dancers on the University of North Florida Lazzara Theater stage.
Just like every other year, most of her dancers in this year’s performance are children ages three and up. Just like every other year, they will perform scenes featuring ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, and contemporary dance styles, as well as a mix of styles. And just like every other year, they will be dancing to raise money for charities benefitting children: Dreams Come True, Pediatric Hospice, St. Jude Children’s Hospital, and Amistad orphanage in Bolivia.
“I am so thankful to God in heaven for letting me be here so long,” Felicia—affectionately known to her dancers as Miss Felicia—says. “People ask how did this last so long? I think it’s because God wants it to. I think it makes him happy to see these precious children dancing for others.”
It’s also lasted so long because of Miss Felicia’s passionate, dedicated leadership. A professional dancer turned long-time dance teacher, she considered herself retired when she and her husband moved to Ponte Vedra Beach in the mid-1990s. The rector at the time, Jim Cooper, asked her to teach dance at the church, and at first, she turned him down. “I said, I’m just going to be a grandmother,” she remembers. “But that lasted about a week.” She began teaching dance, her classes grew, and so did The Nutcracker, which she continues to choreograph and direct and create new dances for each year.
Felicia first began dancing at age 4 in Savannah, where she grew up. After teaching dance there, she moved to New York City to study with the New York City Ballet Company and then went on to dance with a partner who had been with the Russian Ballet. They traveled around the United States, performing classical ballet as principal dancers in major cities. Felicia later moved to Atlanta, where she taught dance before moving to Ponte Vedra Beach.
She strives to make The Nutcracker fun and family-friendly and many of her dancers stay with her from toddlerhood through high school. Many perform in multiple numbers, with quick costume changes backstage.
Felicia credits many faithful volunteers for helping her put the show on year after year, including her assistant, Dawn Jacobs; her daughters Felicia Stapleton and Claire Duffy; and dance mom Carrie Lantzy, who has organized the many costumes for 13-plus years.
Rehearsals began in August this year, just like they do every year. “I want them to walk out on stage and own it so they can enjoy the experience,” Felicia says. “We’re dancing for children who cannot dance. Over the years we’ve been sending thousands of dollars to charities from this little church—where it all started in the old parish hall thirty years ago with 17 children dancing on a concrete floor.”
Get your tickets at missfeliciasdance.com and support this wonderful ministry!
