From the Page to the Stage: Ants 'N' Uncles Becomes a Ballet

When Clay Rice wrote and illustrated Ants 'N' Uncles, he set out to tell a lively story about an uncle, a stubborn ant hill, and an involuntary dance craze that carries him clear around the world. Silhouette by silhouette, page by page, the book takes its accidental hero from a two-step through Texas to a merengue in Mexico to a dust-up at the pyramids, all because he couldn't sit still if he tried.

This May, that story is stepping off the page.

On Saturday, May 9th, International Ballet of Greenville will bring Ants 'N' Uncles to life as a brand-new children's ballet, with three free performances across the Greenville area, including one on the Fred Collins Stage as part of Artisphere. The production is the work of choreographer Josha Williams, International Ballet's Trainee Program Director, and it has its roots in a story that feels right at home on a Rice blog: one about family, across generations, and art that finds its way back to the people who need it. 

Josha first crossed paths with Clay the way so many families do. She brought her son in to have his silhouette cut. What she left with was the little boy's profile, a copy of Ants 'N' Uncles, and the beginning of an idea she couldn't quite shake.

"I left that day with the book of Ants 'N' Uncles and the thought that it could one day become a ballet," Josha says. The rhythm of Clay's writing, the humor of the story, the way the silhouettes suggested motion even while sitting still on a page. It all pointed somewhere beyond the book itself.

Then came a discovery that turned the idea into something more personal.

While preparing for a move, Josha came across a pair of silhouettes she had never seen before. They were of her grandfather and great-grandfather, cut decades earlier by Clay's grandfather, Carew Rice.

For Clay, who has written before about Carew's lasting influence on his own work, the moment lands with particular weight. Two families, two generations apart, connected by a pair of scissors and a sheet of black paper.

"Realizing that generations of my family had experienced and cherished his family's work gave this idea a deeper meaning for me," Josha says. "It felt like a natural and meaningful inspiration to bring this story to life through dance."

If you've spent any time with Clay's work, you know the silhouettes are only part of the story. His books, performances, travel, and storytelling all offer different ways into the same world. That's the part of his work Josha says drew her in as a choreographer.

"What drew me specifically to Ants 'N' Uncles was not only the rhythm and imagination of the story, but also Clay's broader artistic vision, his ability to offer audiences multiple ways to experience his work," she says. "That idea of translating one art form into another is something I value deeply as an educator and choreographer."

The ballet follows the shape of the book. An uncle and his unruly ant friends set off on an unexpected adventure around the world, with each scene picking up the cultures, rhythms, and small moments of mischief the book is built on. Josha has spent two decades working with young dancers, and she's clear about what makes storytelling-through-dance actually land for kids.

"There always has to be an element of joy and a touch of silliness woven into the experience," she says. "And that is something that naturally lives within Clay's book."

The production features International Ballet's Trainee dancers, ages 12 to 17. These are serious young artists who train five to six days a week in the studio, and the Trainee level serves as the entry point into the company's Youth Company. Every year, Josha builds a new Storytime ballet around whoever is in the room.

"Each Storytime ballet is choreographed specifically for the current Trainees, allowing me to shape the piece around their individual strengths, personalities, and growth as artists," she says. "This process keeps the work fresh and energizing, and each group brings something new and meaningful to the storytelling."

Over a season, the same dancers perform in library community rooms and on the Peace Center's main stage in downtown Greenville. The range is intentional, and so is the fact that these library performances are free.

There's a reason so much of International Ballet's community work happens in libraries, and it isn't just about finding rooms big enough to dance in.

"Libraries are such a natural and meaningful setting for this work," Josha says. "It's a place where children gather to explore stories, and we extend that experience by bringing those stories to life through movement. It creates a bridge between literature and dance in a way that feels both engaging and approachable."

For a lot of families in the audience, it's the first time they've ever seen a ballet. Josha and her dancers want that door wide open. No tickets. No registration. No dress code. Just a book come to life, and a room full of kids watching it happen up close.

"Providing these performances at no cost is a very intentional part of our mission," she says. "We want to make the arts accessible and welcoming to all families, especially young children who may be experiencing ballet for the first time."

The afternoon performance is part of Artisphere, the large downtown arts festival that takes over Greenville each May. The Fred Collins Stage is a covered outdoor stage set on the lawn of the Grand Bohemian Lodge near Falls Park, and International Ballet is honored to have been selected to perform there as part of the festival's lineup.

There is something quietly circular about all of this. Decades ago, Clay's grandfather sat down with scissors and paper and cut the profiles of a family he would never know he was connecting to his own. On May 9th, the granddaughter of those silhouettes will watch her dancers bring his grandson's book to life, three times in one day.

If you're anywhere near Greenville on May 9th, come and see it. Bring the kids. Bring the uncles.

To learn more about International Ballet of Greenville and the Trainee program behind this production, visit internationalballetsc.org.

Special thanks to Josha Williams, Sarah Shoemaker, and Susan Fuls at International Ballet of Greenville for their help telling this story.