Think "nightlife" and one imagines young adults drinking and dancing until the break of dawn. But SF Gay Nightlife Examiner Marques Daniels reports on some partying coming up for a slightly younger crowd and slightly earlier hours:
Excerpted from Marques' column on the upcoming Dance-Along Nutcracker, at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts:
Zylayah Bates (pictured here in 2008) was six years old when she attended her first Dance-Along Nutcracker in 2008 and can’t wait to return this year. “At the Tutu Rental Booth I got a pink tutu and a headband that lit up,” she said from her Berkeley home last week. “I liked seeing the singers and dancers on stage, but I got tired of sitting. When the sign came on, we all got up and danced! That was the best part.”
The sign she’s talking about says ‘Dance Along’ and it lights up at various times throughout the two-hour show. The Dance-Along Nutcracker is the only place in town where the audience dances to Tchaikovsky’s enchanting Nutcracker Suite. Returning to Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on December 12 and 13, the four performances feature a whimsical stage show interspersed with audience participation. This year’s theme, ‘Blazing Nutcrackers,’ places the classic Nutcracker story in the Wild West.
“I was already dancing in my seat to the music even before we could dance in the aisles,” said Gabrielle Kot, a fourteen-year old from Walnut Creek who attended her first Dance-Along Nutcracker seven years ago with her grandmother. “I was really excited when the performers sang and danced, and I wanted to go up on stage with them. Then the sign came on and I danced around the room with my grandma and all these random kids, which was fun."
“At first it was weird dancing with strangers,” said Jason Campbell, age eight of San Francisco, who is returning for his third Dance-Along, “but after a while it was a lot of fun. I didn’t like sitting so much but dancing a bunch of times made it a lot better. This time I’m going to wear my cowboy hat and boots, but I don’t think I’ll get a tutu like before.”
“The Dance-Along Nutcracker brings out the kid in everyone, regardless of age,” said Jadine Louie, Artistic Director of the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band, the organization that puts on the show. “With performances by perennial favorites Trauma Flintstone and Leigh Crow, choreography by Carolyn Carvajal, a campy take on the Nutcracker story, and plenty of opportunities for the audience to dance, we have something to keep everyone entertained. And the Gala promises to be a special evening to remember.”
More than a zany holiday celebration, the Dance-Along Nutcracker is also the primary fundraiser for the Band, which performs at 15-20 concerts, parades and civic events throughout the year. The Gala evening performance on Saturday, December 12, features a pre-show reception with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, sweets, champagne and wine from Barefoot Winery, and music by City Swing Big Band.
Nathan Oyler, a tuba player in the Band, said “when I performed in the Dance-Along Nutcracker for the first time last year, I was stunned by how much fun everyone was having. Parents, grandparents, kids, couples, people in crazy costumes, people in wheelchairs – everyone was waving their arms, spinning, and moving around. Children stood a few inches from the musicians staring at us as we played. And there was a cluster of kids behind the conductor waving their arms as if leading the Band themselves. I wished there’d been something like this back when I was a kid.”
WHEN:
Saturday December 12 at 2:30 PM and 7:00 PM (Holiday Gala).
Sunday December 13 at 11:00 AM 3:00 PM.
HOLIDAY GALA PERFORMANCE:
Saturday December 12, 7:00 PM, featuring City Swing Big Band and holiday reception.
WHERE:
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum, 701 Mission Street at 3rd, San Francisco.
TICKETS:
www.dancealongnutcracker.org, 415-978-2787
PRICES:
General admission $25; Children 12 and under and seniors $16; Holiday Gala $50. Group discounts of 20% for 10 tickets or more.
MORE INFO:
www.dancealongnutcracker.org, 415-255-1355
You can read more of Marques' coverage of the event in his column here.
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