The Mighty Casey Brings Baseball and Hometown Dancers Back to Spartanburg - March 19th 2025

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Ballet San Antonio dancers, former Ballet Spartanburg students, back for 'Mighty Casey'

Jose Franco

Spartanburg Herald-Journal, March 19, 2025

Michael Agudelo and Will Robichaud learned to dance as children at Ballet Spartanburg.

Today, the Spartanburg County natives make their living as professional dancers with Ballet San Antonio.

This week, they return to Ballet Spartanburg as guest artists in "The Mighty Casey" on the Chapman Cultural Center stage. The production is based on the poems "Casey at the Bat" and "Casey -- Twenty Years Later," which choreographer Lisa De Ribere created for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.

The production, directed by Lona Gomez, is dedicated to the opening of the new Spartanburgers baseball stadium, Fifth Third Park, on April 1. The Spartanburgers are one of the show's sponsors.

'Our own kind of home run'

Ballet Spartanburg's professional dance company is primarily made up of female dancers. However, Ballet Spartanburg needed more male dancers for a baseball ballet, so they recruited former students Michael Agudelo and Will Robichaud as guest artists.

"It also gives (Ballet Spartanburg) a chance to celebrate our own kind of home run, having two former students from our dance school go on to be professional dancers with Ballet San Antonio," said Susan Dunlap, Ballet Spartanburg's administrative director.

"It's difficult to become a professional ballet dancer and to make your living as a dancer," Dunlap said. "To have two of our local homegrown Ballet Spartanburg students come back as professional dancers and be guest artists in our performance is an honor."

Returning 'feels like home'

Michael has been with Ballet San Antonio for 10 years and is a principal dancer. He is playing one of the baseball players on Casey's team.

Agudelo is son to Carlos Agudelo, artistic director of Ballet Spartanburg.

"It feels like home," Michael said of being back in the dance studios of Ballet Spartanburg. "This is where I grew up and trained to become a professional dancer, so it's just like coming home. I will always come back when my schedule is free.

"The Mighty Casey" is "a very different ballet from the ballets you've seen," Michael said.

"This (show) has a sense of humor and a very different style than you are used to seeing in ballet -- a little more jazz, Broadway flair."

Michael said he and fellow guest artist Will Robichaud hit the ground running and learned the whole ballet in two days. "We just started cleaning it up and making sure everything was sharp and together," he said.

The cast is large, including two baseball teams on stage and sweethearts that Casey's team dances with. The cast also includes a dog.

"If you like baseball, you should definitely come see this," Michael said.