The StepCrew
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DateMar 16, 2023
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Event Starts8:00pm
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Doors Open7:00pm
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AvailabilityPast Event
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LocationBlue Gate PAC
760 S Van Buren St
Shipshewana, IN 46565
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Seating ChartView Seating Chart (If you are paying with a gift card, you must call to purchase tickets 260.768.4725)
Mar 16, 2023
Thursday @ 8:00pm
Event Details
The StepCrew boasts performers from the likes of The Chieftains, Cherish The Ladies, Loreena McKennit, Carlos Nunez, and Bowfire. As six-time Grammy Award winner Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains quotes, "The StepCrew does not simply draw their audience in, they take them by the hand and remind us what dance is meant to be about - fun!".
Take Nathan and Jon Pilatzke, two brothers from rural Ontario who haphazardly get started in Canadian Stepdancing and Fiddling as young children. The two boys, like a surprisingly high amount of other Canadian children, spend their summer weekends travelling around Ontario competing in Fiddle and Stepdance festivals. Cut to years later - Nathan and Jon pursue their art forms into a professional career. It is in this forum that they encounter multi-time Irish Stepdancing champion Cara Butler and the three friends unknowingly and unwittingly create the core, both physically and conceptually, for a new dance production aptly titled The StepCrew.
It is this type of connection and familiarity that are the backbone of The StepCrew - other dancers and musicians in the show traceable like branches of a tree back to its trunk. However, the mission of this troupe involves much more than simply the gathering of extremely talented friends. The StepCrew is a completely original and virtuosic display of three styles of percussive dance - Irish Stepdancing, Ottawa Valley Stepdancing, and Tap - in a fully realized theatrical setting. This mission could not be clearer as the curtain rises to a short taste of each style in its traditional form, only to be followed by a bolt to the senses resulting in the full company dancing a uniform style - a style which Jean Butler of Riverdance fame could only describe as "a unique and seamless blend of all three". From there this amazing company take you on a journey from a house party in the back kitchen of an old Irish cottage, to a lamp lit sidewalk in New York City, to a French Canadian lumbercamp in Quebec, using nothing more than their feet.
Where it is inarguable that The StepCrew is a celebration of dance, one cannot deny the musical abilities of the instrumentalists - two of the dancers themselves being noted and champion Canadian fiddlers. One of The StepCrew's "secret weapons" is its musical ensemble - some of the most respected musicians in the Celtic genre today perform arrangements perfectly crafted to compliment both traditional and progressive dance moments. Of particular note is Alyth McCormack, a Scotland native, whose haunting vocals not only contrast flawlessly the vigor of the dance, but also act as a soundtrack inspiring it. Alyth's distinct traditional vocal flair certainly ties in with the flavours of traditional music and dance offered up in this "tour de force".
Take Nathan and Jon Pilatzke, two brothers from rural Ontario who haphazardly get started in Canadian Stepdancing and Fiddling as young children. The two boys, like a surprisingly high amount of other Canadian children, spend their summer weekends travelling around Ontario competing in Fiddle and Stepdance festivals. Cut to years later - Nathan and Jon pursue their art forms into a professional career. It is in this forum that they encounter multi-time Irish Stepdancing champion Cara Butler and the three friends unknowingly and unwittingly create the core, both physically and conceptually, for a new dance production aptly titled The StepCrew.
It is this type of connection and familiarity that are the backbone of The StepCrew - other dancers and musicians in the show traceable like branches of a tree back to its trunk. However, the mission of this troupe involves much more than simply the gathering of extremely talented friends. The StepCrew is a completely original and virtuosic display of three styles of percussive dance - Irish Stepdancing, Ottawa Valley Stepdancing, and Tap - in a fully realized theatrical setting. This mission could not be clearer as the curtain rises to a short taste of each style in its traditional form, only to be followed by a bolt to the senses resulting in the full company dancing a uniform style - a style which Jean Butler of Riverdance fame could only describe as "a unique and seamless blend of all three". From there this amazing company take you on a journey from a house party in the back kitchen of an old Irish cottage, to a lamp lit sidewalk in New York City, to a French Canadian lumbercamp in Quebec, using nothing more than their feet.
Where it is inarguable that The StepCrew is a celebration of dance, one cannot deny the musical abilities of the instrumentalists - two of the dancers themselves being noted and champion Canadian fiddlers. One of The StepCrew's "secret weapons" is its musical ensemble - some of the most respected musicians in the Celtic genre today perform arrangements perfectly crafted to compliment both traditional and progressive dance moments. Of particular note is Alyth McCormack, a Scotland native, whose haunting vocals not only contrast flawlessly the vigor of the dance, but also act as a soundtrack inspiring it. Alyth's distinct traditional vocal flair certainly ties in with the flavours of traditional music and dance offered up in this "tour de force".
Plan Your Visit:▼
Parking: Free parking is available at the venue. Please have patience and be respectful when leaving our parking lots after the show.
Ticket Office: For ticket sales and assistance with ticket orders, please visit our box office or call 260-768-4725. Box Office hours are Monday thru Saturday, 10am to 7pm. All ticket sales are final and non-refundable, no exception.
Tickets: Your phone is your ticket. Make sure you have downloaded your ticket before arriving at the venue to present at ticket check. Will Call tickets can be picked up at the box office window, and you must present a photo ID. If you need your tickets printed for any reason, visit the venue box office prior to entering ticket check. Tickets that include a dining package will need to be printed prior to visiting the restaurant since they serve as your dining voucher.
Rain or Shine Events: All events are rain or shine. In the event of hazardous weather during an event, please follow the safety directions given by venue staff and displayed on digital screens.
Bag Policy: For safety and efficiency, we recommend entering without a purse or bag at our venues. If essential items are needed, we encourage guests to bring them in a small, clear purse. All non-clear purses will be searched, and this will be enforced upon entry at our Performing Arts Center. Diaper Bags for families with small children and bags with required medical items are permitted. No oversized purses, tote or duffel bags, or backpacks of any type will be allowed.
Prohibited Items: Please review the prohibited items list before you come to an event. This list can be found on our FAQ page.
Concessions: Refreshments are available for purchase within the venue. No outside food, candy, or beverages are allowed.
Bar Service: We do have beer and wine service available at most of our PAC concerts. Hours of service vary, depending on show schedule, but the bar is typically open for at least 90 minutes once doors are open.
No Smoking: Smoking and vaping are strictly prohibited inside the venue.
Safety and Security Policies: All members of your party must have a ticket to enter the venue. All individuals entering the facility are subject to screening including the checking of bags and personal belongings for prohibited items. Re-entry is not permitted without a ticket. For a complete list of prohibited items and venue policies, visit our FAQ page.
Accessibility: For complete information on our services, please visit the Accessibility section of our FAQ page.
Dining Packages: Buffet dining at our Blue Gate Restaurant can be added to any ticket price for your convenience. Price would include meal but not gratuity. To ensure guests have time to dine, we suggest arriving no later than 2 hours prior to show time, in case the restaurant is on a wait.
Hotel Reservations: If you need hotel accommodations, consider staying at our Blue Gate Garden Inn – adjacent to the Performing Arts Center! For more information and to check availability, visit https://www.bluegategardeninn.com/ or call 260.768.4725.
For more information, simply visit our FAQ page.
Ticket Office: For ticket sales and assistance with ticket orders, please visit our box office or call 260-768-4725. Box Office hours are Monday thru Saturday, 10am to 7pm. All ticket sales are final and non-refundable, no exception.
Tickets: Your phone is your ticket. Make sure you have downloaded your ticket before arriving at the venue to present at ticket check. Will Call tickets can be picked up at the box office window, and you must present a photo ID. If you need your tickets printed for any reason, visit the venue box office prior to entering ticket check. Tickets that include a dining package will need to be printed prior to visiting the restaurant since they serve as your dining voucher.
Rain or Shine Events: All events are rain or shine. In the event of hazardous weather during an event, please follow the safety directions given by venue staff and displayed on digital screens.
Bag Policy: For safety and efficiency, we recommend entering without a purse or bag at our venues. If essential items are needed, we encourage guests to bring them in a small, clear purse. All non-clear purses will be searched, and this will be enforced upon entry at our Performing Arts Center. Diaper Bags for families with small children and bags with required medical items are permitted. No oversized purses, tote or duffel bags, or backpacks of any type will be allowed.
Prohibited Items: Please review the prohibited items list before you come to an event. This list can be found on our FAQ page.
Concessions: Refreshments are available for purchase within the venue. No outside food, candy, or beverages are allowed.
Bar Service: We do have beer and wine service available at most of our PAC concerts. Hours of service vary, depending on show schedule, but the bar is typically open for at least 90 minutes once doors are open.
No Smoking: Smoking and vaping are strictly prohibited inside the venue.
Safety and Security Policies: All members of your party must have a ticket to enter the venue. All individuals entering the facility are subject to screening including the checking of bags and personal belongings for prohibited items. Re-entry is not permitted without a ticket. For a complete list of prohibited items and venue policies, visit our FAQ page.
Accessibility: For complete information on our services, please visit the Accessibility section of our FAQ page.
Dining Packages: Buffet dining at our Blue Gate Restaurant can be added to any ticket price for your convenience. Price would include meal but not gratuity. To ensure guests have time to dine, we suggest arriving no later than 2 hours prior to show time, in case the restaurant is on a wait.
Hotel Reservations: If you need hotel accommodations, consider staying at our Blue Gate Garden Inn – adjacent to the Performing Arts Center! For more information and to check availability, visit https://www.bluegategardeninn.com/ or call 260.768.4725.
For more information, simply visit our FAQ page.
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