FALMOUTH – Picture pirouettes in gardens, joyful leaps in yards and exuberant dancing among flowering trees. Turning Pointe Dance Studio Artistic Director Laura Sciortino has scheduled a series of pop up outdoor performances around Falmouth this spring. An unexpectedly mild spring coupled with a high rate of vaccines delivered on Cape Cod makes this a promising time to view dance outdoors.
Sciortino has given her community dance project the name, Turning Pointe En Dehors, a French term that means outdoors and, appropriately for these performances, is also a ballet term for a kind of pirouette that revolves outward. Turning Pointe’s young dancers study a range of styles of dance, including ballet.
The Turning Pointe En Dehors performances are free and open to the public. They will take place at several outdoor community venues and nature spots throughout Falmouth and beyond.
“Our mission is to foster and create additional beauty, arts, and culture into our already wonderful community by taking advantage of our beautiful landscapes of Cape Cod,” Sciortino said.
There are two performances on Sunday, May 2. The dancers will perform outside at Bourne Farm in West Falmouth at 11am and in the back yard of Falmouth Art Center, at 137 Gifford Street, at 1pm.
On May 22, they will perform on the grounds of Highfield Hall, at the end of Highfield Drive, at noon and, the next day, May 23, they will be at Wicked n’ Wood BBQ and Wood Grill, at 383 East Falmouth Highway, at 2pm.
The current orders from Governor Baker on outside gatherings in Massachusetts caps the number 150.
There will be about 20 dancers performing, as Sciortino puts it, “creative and eclectic pieces by distinguished choreographers as well as remarkable local talent.”
She said, “The goal of this project is to provide free live entertainment to help liven our spirits during what has been a trying year.”
This has been a difficult year for so many businesses, but especially the performing arts. Live performance is critical for young dancers, Sciortino said, as they need to stay in practice in order to be dancing at the height of their abilities and “show off their craft and passion.”
“Dancers have continued to practice and work but have lost almost all performance opportunities due to the pandemic,” she said.
Sciortino also hopes the project helps bring people to local businesses.
Sciortino said, “We hope our efforts provide optimism and hope for the future, which is something we all need during these challenging times.”
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