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A Challenging Role
ON THE INSIDE The latest happenings in our area Page 2
May 12, 2016
Local resident will star in Ballet Theatre production by Caitlin West Staff Writer
Jerica Tallo has danced lead roles before in her 23 years on stage, but this time the story focuses on her. The 27-year-old Old Forge resident stars in the title role of “Coppelia,” which Ballet Theatre of Scranton’s senior company will present Saturday, May 14, at 8 p.m. at The Theater at North, 1539 N. Main Ave. in Scranton. Tallo felt shocked when she learned she nabbed the role but also “really excited and appreciative that they put a lot of faith in me.” She has put in a lot of hard work ever since to make sure everyone who comes to see it enjoys it, she said. “It’s exhausting, but it’s rewarding in the end,” said Tallo, who starting dancing at age 4. “But I just want to be able to show them that they gave me this role and I can do it.” She will get to do just that in the Theatre at North, which opened in February in the former North Scranton Junior High School. Goodwill Industries of Northeastern Pennsylvania owns and renovated the building, which also includes senior housing. “We had the modern show for the dance studio there back in March, but this is the first time that [the senior company] will be performing,” Tallo said. “So we’re actually really excited about the new place.” The “absolutely beautiful” theater’s atmosphere has Tallo the most excited, she said, and she thinks holding the show at a new venue might induce new people to come and check it out. Going somewhere new gives “more of an opportunity for more of the community to be a part of it,” she said. In “Coppelia,” Franz, the fiance of Tallo’s other character, Swanilda, sees Coppelia through a shop window and falls in love with her. Swanilda and her friends later break into the shop and discover that Coppelia is actually a doll, Tallo said, and “I wreck the toy shop, (and) I disguise myself as the doll.” “One of the things about ballets is that
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Jerica Tallo will dance the title role of “Coppelia.”
they’re really wacky stories sometimes,” Tallo said with a laugh. The show also is “really diverse compared to what we’ve been doing the past couple years, and it’s a nice little break from doing really dramatic pieces,” Tallo said. “So it’s really upbeat, it’s lively, (and) it’s a lot of fun.” For Tallo, “Coppelia” involved a lot of memorizing and stamina. It required her to work on some of her weaknesses, which she said turned into strengths as a result. “It’s a lot of more fast-paced than I’m actually used to, so it was a real challenge for me to get that, which I enjoyed because I liked having to push myself, especially after dancing for so long,” Tallo said. A lot of her family members will be in the
audience, and Tallo said “that’s what it’s all about — just supporting the arts.” “It’s a great opportunity for people, especially [since] we have a lot of girls and boys that are in this production,” she said. “And it’s nice to have everyone come out and support them and have a place where they can be on stage and show their talents.” Tallo loves “the small town community” where she grew up and continues to live. “I actually am a long-term sub at Old Forge School District, so I like being a part of it,” she said. “It’s like one big family. Everybody knows each other.” Tickets for “Coppelia” are $25, available at www.tututix.com. For details, call 570347-2867.