Pa. Ballet Will 'Shut Up And Dance' To Benefit MANNA
By Cherri Gregg
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The Pennsylvania Ballet will "Shut Up and Dance" for a one-night-only performance at the Forest Theatre tomorrow night. Proceeds go to help get meals to those with life threatening illnesses.
The theme for this year's performance is a sultry take on Victoriana. There will be live music for the first time, with dance moves created by the Pennsylvania Ballet dancers themselves.
"It's a very unique performance. It's a performance you won't see any other night," says Sue Daugherty, executive director at MANNA.
She says every month, the non-profit provides tens of thousands of free, medically appropriate meals to hundreds of people suffering from life threatening illnesses. MANNA has a close relationship with the Pennsylvania Ballet that goes back 22 years when HIV and AIDS hit the dance community especially hard.
"The dancers needed and wanted to do something to help the community and they got together and kept going back and forth and said, 'you know what, we need to just shut up and dance and that's how Shut Up and Dance was formed," says Daugherty.
The dancers volunteered their time for the rehearsal and the performance. Tickets start at $25, with all proceeds going to MANNA. Tickets can be purchased at MANNAPA.org/dance or by calling 215-496-2662 x115.
