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Positively Philadelphia: Shut Up And Dance

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - On April 9th, the Forrest Theatre will be bursting with dancing and music as the Pennsylvania Ballet hosts a special one-night program to benefit MANNA.

"Shut Up and Dance," says principal dancer with the Pennsylvania Ballet, Ian Hussey." It's our 24th year that we've done this benefit in support of the non-profit MANNA."

Hussey is also producing director for 'Shut Up and Dance.'

"I'm from the area, and I grew up coming to 'Shut Up and Dance' as a kid, being a fan of the Pennsylvania Ballet," he tells KYW Newsradio, "so when I joined the company, it was only natural for me to get involved. And we work really hard in our free time. This is all volunteer."

ian hussey pa ballet
Ian Hussey, principal dancer with Pa. Ballet. (Credit: Lauren Lipton)

He says the name comes from the founders:

"They wanted to do something about the HIV/AIDS crisis. They weren't sure what they wanted to do, whether it was a bake sale or any sort of fundraiser to help the cause. But when they found MANNA, they were like, 'you know what? Why don't we just shut up and dance'?"

And so they did.

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And for this week, that's "Positively Philadelphia!"

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