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Holiday on Pointe: Pittsburgh Ballet, Phipps usher in the holiday cheer

By Tara Rack-Amber trackamber@heraldstandard.Com 5 min read
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The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Phipps Conservatory will present Poinsettias and Pointe Shoes Nov. 18.

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The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Phipps Conservatory will present Poinsettias and Pointe Shoes Nov. 18. The special event will feature selections from Tchaikovsky无毛视频檚 无毛视频淭he Nutcracker.无毛视频

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Submitted Photo

The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Phipps Conservatory will present Poinsettias and Pointe Shoes Nov. 18. The special event will feature selections from Tchaikovsky无毛视频檚 无毛视频淭he Nutcracker.无毛视频 (Photo courtesy of Aimee DiAndrea.)

For many people, the Christmas season means decorating the house with lights and a tree, hurrying along to find the perfect gift for loved ones and enjoying holiday themed entertainment to get in the holly, jolly mood.

Those who include the time-honored ballet, 无毛视频淭he Nutcracker无毛视频 among their holiday traditions will be able to have an early taste of the holiday season at the Poinsettias and Pointe Shoes special event at Phipps Conservatory in Oakland on Nov. 18.

This one night only event, which has been taking place for seven years, will feature performances by the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre at 4:30, 6 and 7:30 p.m.

Artistic Director for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Terrence S. Orr, said the event will feature selections from the famed holiday ballet including many from the second act.

In the second act, Clara travels to the land of sweets where she is introduced to the Sugar Plum Fairy and experiences a variety of dances that represents nationalities all over the globe.

The dancers featured in Poinsettias and Pointe Shoes are members of the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, a pre-professional program.

无毛视频淲e call it our graduate program. They (the dancers) are in this program for approximately two to three years prior to going off and becoming a professional dancer,无毛视频 explained Orr. 无毛视频淚 just finished doing 无毛视频楪iselle无毛视频 and there were some students from the pre-professional program there.无毛视频

Orr said that the event will feature about 40 dancers at the conservatory.

These dancers will also be a part of the full length Tchaikovsky ballet performance that is held at the Benedum Center starting next month, marking the 15th season onstage for 无毛视频淭he Nutcracker.无毛视频

无毛视频淲e start at the very beginning of December, Dec. 2, and we actually start out with an 11 a.m. performance and the first real performance of 无毛视频楾he Nutcracker无毛视频 is that Friday evening,无毛视频 said Orr.

This year also marks a milestone for Orr, as he celebrates his 20th anniversary season with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.

In 2002, Orr planned to revive classic story elements of the ballet while in turn creating a sense of place that was unique to Pittsburgh.

无毛视频淚 wanted this production to be the city无毛视频檚 own. I wanted Pittsburghers to feel a sense of familiarity, of home, because this show is such a tradition for so many families,无毛视频 he said.

By working with artists, historians and locals, Orr began gathering relics and references to add to the traditional scenes of 无毛视频淭he Nutcracker无毛视频 to make the performance that Pittsburgh audiences see today including a growing Christmas tree and gently falling snow.

From Dec. 2 through Dec. 27, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre will have 26 performances of the classic ballet including one for a special audience.

Orr said for the past several years, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre has presented a sensory friendly performance of 无毛视频淭he Nutcracker.无毛视频

无毛视频淚t was my educational department that came to me and she said that it would be a great idea,无毛视频 said Orr. 无毛视频淚t took me about three-and-a-half seconds to say yes to do that. It has been very important to take down certain things in the production so it won无毛视频檛 traumatize anybody. We have the lights up a little bit and people can move around and we do some alterations for the performance to make it sensory friendly.无毛视频

While 无毛视频淭he Nutcracker无毛视频 is often presented on a stage with a traditional theater setup, Poinsettias and Pointe Shoes required Orr, when he first performed the selections at Phipps Conservatory, to rethink some of the staging since it is hosted on the special events hall connected to the tropical forest conservatory.

无毛视频淚 am kind of used to it now,无毛视频 he said. 无毛视频淚t is (like) doing a performance in a theater in three-quarter round. It is something that you have to think about and how to present each work.无毛视频

Another unique aspect to Poinsettias and Pointe Shoes is that audience members will have the opportunity to have a sneak peek of Phipps无毛视频 winter flower show.

无毛视频淭he winter flower show this year is called 无毛视频楧ays of Snow and Nights Aglow.无毛视频 The theme of it is snow days. Every room you go into you will see a little vignette or display of what you would like to do when it is a snow day,无毛视频 explained Carley Adams, marketing assistant with Phipps Conservatory. 无毛视频淚n the Victoria Room we have a pond and there will be reindeer ice skating. In another room we have topiary bears all huddled together around the hearth. In another room we have the penguins in a snowball fight. Every room is very whimsical and nostalgic in a way. As we do every year, the entire conservatory, especially the outdoor gardens, will be decked out in thousands of glowing lights.无毛视频

The winter flower show will officially open Nov. 25 and run until Jan. 8,

Orr said that Poinsettias and Pointe Shoes is a way some families introduce their children to the ballet and begin a new family holiday tradition.

无毛视频淚t has begun to be so popular. Sometimes this is their (parents) chance to bring the real young ones who might not make it two hours at the Benedum (for the full performance),无毛视频 he said.

无毛视频淚 really hope that people who come to Poinsettias and Pointe Shoes will find a way they and their whole family can herald in the holidays together,无毛视频 said Adams. 无毛视频淭here is something beautiful (about seeing) the dancers perform this holiday piece of art among our whole display. It can be difficult for families to find something they all enjoy. I think the collaboration between the PBT and Phipps is something everyone can have fun with and herald in the holiday with this event.无毛视频

Tickets for the event are $28 for adults and $15 for children which include a 50 percent off ticket special for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre无毛视频檚 full performance of 无毛视频淭he Nutcracker无毛视频 and a sneak peek of the Phipps无毛视频 Winter Flower Show and Light Garden. Currently, only the 7:30 p.m. performance has tickets remaining.

Tickets can be purchased online at culturaldistrict.org.

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