Nonprofit profile: The gift of family-friendly entertainment is abundant

Music, ballet, comedy are all playing this holiday season

Published in the November 29 – December 12, 2017 issue of Gilroy Life

Lana’s Dance Studio performers encourage families to enjoy their production of the classic Christmas ballet “The Nutcracker.”
Photo courtesy Lana’s Dance Studio

The holiday season is a special time for the performing arts in the South Valley. Residents will receive the gift of live and family-friendly entertainment options including a symphony concert promoting peace through music, several comic theater shows and not one but two Nutcracker ballets to entice those dreams of sugar plum ferries.

We encourage everyone who loves the arts to take some time away from the shopping activities and join family and friends to see one or two — or even all — of these shows produced by local residents for your entertainment.

Holiday Music

The South Bay Singers will get families into the festive mood with its “Holiday Friends Forever” concert held 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Gilroy Presbyterian Church, 6000 Miller Ave. Singers from Gilroy, Morgan Hill and Hollister will entertain audiences with fun songs celebrating the season. Tickets are $20 (or free for children younger than 12) and are available at www.southbaysingers.com.

The South Valley Symphony orchestra, under conductor Anthony Quartuccio, will entertain audiences with holiday music with the “Peace Around the World” concert to be performed at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9 at Gavilan College Theater. In addition to music to celebrate the holidays of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, the orchestra will perform the following key pieces: Symphony No. 2 — the “Romantic” by Howard Hanson; Behind Me Dips Eternity by Saratoga-based composer, Henry Mollicone as a musical representation of the poem by Emily Dickinson; and Stille Nacht (Silent Night) based on the popular version by Mannheim Steamroller. Visit www.southvalleysymphony.org

Holiday Dance

The South Valley Dance Arts’ production of Tchaikovsky’s popular “The Nutcracker” ballet takes place at Morgan Hill’s Ann Sobrato Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. Dec. 1 and Dec. 8, 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Dec. 2 and Dec. 9. It features more than 130 local dancers who will transport the audience to a magical place filled with adorable children, marching toy soldiers, a growing Christmas tree, a giant Mother Ginger, mischievous rats, crystalline waltzing snowflakes, the Land of Sweets, and breathtaking costumes, sets and dancing. Visit www.southvalleydance.com to learn more or purchase tickets.
Lana’s Dance Studio will continue its popular holiday tradition of “The Nutcracker” with performances 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 15, and 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16 at Gavilan College Theater. The ballet is a wonderful way to introduce young people to the experience of dance. Tickets are available at BookSmart, Lana’s Dance Studio and at the theater. Visit lanasdancestudio.biz.

Holiday Theater Shows

South Valley Civic Theatre presents “Act One,” a comedy drama about the hit Broadway playwright Moss Hart’s relationship with his mentor, the quirky George Kaufman, while writing the show “Once an a Lifetime.” The show depicts Hart in three stages of life, including an ambitious young man learning the stage craft. The remaining performances at the Morgan Hill Community Playhouse are 8 p.m. Dec. 1, Dec. 2, Dec. 8, Dec. 9, and 2:30 p.m. Dec. 3. Visit www.svct.org.