After taking the reins as producing director of “Shut Up & Dance” in 2011, Ian Hussey said he always planned to be a part of the event’s 25th anniversary.
“It’s really one of the most important things I have ever done in my life,” Hussey said. “To be a small part of ‘Shut Up & Dance’’s great legacy and history, I feel very honored to be running the show [during] its 25th year. It’s a remarkable feeling for me because I’m so proud that the dancers of the Pennsylvania Ballet have done something special for this long.”
The event began as the brainchild of Pennsylvania Ballet dancers Michael Sheridan, Leslie Carothers, Nick Stuccio and Kelly Moriarty in 1992. Sheridan, who was unavailable for comment, stayed involved as an advisor.
“The dancers really wanted to do something to support those impacted by HIV/AIDS and were having a brainstorm about different fundraisers the dancers of the community could put on for the cause,” said MANNA Events Manager Laura Payne, noting how the event began. “Someone suggested that they stop suggesting all of these different fundraisers and just ‘shut up and dance’ because that’s what they do best.”
The April 29 show will once again benefit MANNA, a nonprofit organization that delivers meals to those with life-threatening illnesses.
‘One night only’ for 25 years
While MANNA and the Pennsylvania Ballet will celebrate the event for its 25th year, two members of MANNA’s leadership board describe each year as “one night only” due to choreography and show themes being changed up annually.
“At the end of the show, I want to leave the theater and call my friends and be like, ‘Oh my God, you have to go see this show,’” said MANNA CEO Sue Daugherty. “And you can’t. It’s truly one night only. The only thing that I can expect is that every year, you are going to laugh, you are going to cry and you’re going to blush. This show and the energy that is in that theater each year gets stronger.”
Director of External Affairs Rob Saxon said this aspect of the show is what makes “Shut Up & Dance” “the best event [people will] see all year.”
“It’s not like going to see something on Broadway that you can see again and again,” Saxon said. “‘Shut Up & Dance’ is one night only and after that night, it’s over. It’s really special to be part of that. Part of the excitement of the evening is, What are they going to do next?”
‘The Dying Swan’ and annual traditions
While the event has a “one-night-only” feeling each year, “Shut Up & Dance” still holds true to traditions.
One convention Daugherty noted is “The Dying Swan,” a short ballet routine detailing the last moments of a swan’s life.
“When they perform that piece, it brings everybody back and reminds us of what MANNA’s roots were and where we came from during the HIV/AIDS crisis, and thankfully how we evolved,” Daugherty said, noting how MANNA started as an HIV/AIDS organization. “[MANNA was originally] founded to help people die, and now MANNA is here to help people live. And I think ‘Shut Up & Dance’ is a reminder for everyone that night that that’s where we came from and [makes us] thankful for where we are today.”
The event continually raises more than $150,000 for MANNA, bringing in more than $1.5 million in the last 24 years.
“At the end of the day, it’s about providing nutrition to our clients — three meals a day, seven days a week — as they battle this illness,” Saxon said.
Shut up and reminisce
“Shut Up & Dance” relies on volunteers each year. Karen Mauch, a 65-year-old lesbian, has consistently volunteered for the event over the years and has memories of spending time with the dancers.
“It was fun to observe them in their world — a world I might not otherwise be able to be a part of — and watching them go through their routines,” Mauch said. “Seeing the camaraderie that the MANNA staff had with them, that was really wonderful to observe and be a part of.”
Dominic D’Orazio, 85, has sold tickets for “Shut Up & Dance” since its first year. He said he got involved because he had friends who died from HIV/AIDS in the 1980s. Additionally, D’Orazio, who identifies as gay, noted how times have changed.
“When I was coming out, nobody knew what it was to be gay,” D’Orazio said. “But today, it’s wonderful.”
The 25th festivity
This year’s event will once again feature drag performer Martha Graham Cracker as host for her second year, and an after party at Voyeur Nightclub with DJ Robert Drake.
Additionally, Hussey noted the event will include a string quartet and two film projects, one of which will commemorate the event’s 25 years.
“‘Shut Up & Dance’ is such a wonderful event where you will laugh and cry and be on the edge of your seat the whole night,” Hussey said.
“Shut Up & Dance” will take place 8 p.m. April 29 at the Forrest Theater, 1114 Walnut St. Visit www.mannapa.org/shut-up-and-dance/ to order tickets.