“The Nutcracker” was given a celestial run for its money when a pair of borough performance troupes performed an original Yuletide production — to a sold-out house — at Christ Church Bay Ridge.
“Feast of the Angels,” a contemporary Christmas story of dance, song and spoken word, entranced the misty-eyed crowd as ethereal dancers from the Brooklyn Dance Center — and spoken word artists and singers from the Brooklyn Association of the Performing Arts — staged the three-part costumed presentation to symbolize the spiritual bond between angels and humankind, plus to offer hope, said Gail Kroog, founder of the dance center.
“We were actually calling down the angels from the heavens above,” said Kroog, who choreographed the poignant show with Daniel Ferrante, Diana Perez and Phil Stambaugh, all of them sharing the spotlight with Rocco Buonpane who coordinated the spoken word segments, and Joe Ardigo who wrote the songs and composed the music.
Nimble-toed dancers soared to lofty heights as they put into steps the story of heavenly beings, their interaction with human beings and the birth of Christ, through songs, such as “Illuminate My Faith” and dance numbers entitled “Glorious Being.”
