“People will do pretty much anything for chocolate,” Sipe tells us.
Credit: Sasha Santiago
Love can be hard to find, but Chocolate Dances has a recipe as effective as Cupid’s arrow: a Valentine’s tasting performance.
The Second Annual Valentine’s Tasting Performance this Feb. 14th and 15th combines dancing, music, “teatrics,” handmade chocolate truffles and more into one refined show to make your five senses tingle. Much like at a wine tasting, each chocolate will be paired with its perfect match – in this case, a song and dance.
“It’s kind of a flight of chocolates that go on throughout the evening, and different dances [are] paired with it,” says Megan Sipe, chocolatier/choreographer and mastermind behind Chocolate Dances LLC.
The night’s soundtrack incorporates flamenco guitar, a classically trained pianist and percussionists that get the crowd moving, taking the show from performance to an all-inclusive gathering.
“It feels more like social dance, like a party,” Sipe says.
The show begins like a traditional performance with the audience in a semi-circle and dancers in the center. The dancers begin feeding chocolates to the crowd and dancing in and out of the audience.
“Towards the middle of the piece we do a section I call ‘Choose Your Own Adventure,’” Sipe says. “The audience gets to pick between three different types of chocolate and they get to follow a dancer and a chocolate of their choice.”
Then, perhaps as a nod to other popular participatory shows like “Sleep No More,” you’ll watch the dance that has been purposefully paired with that chocolate. At this point you’ll talk about the chocolate, what you taste and what you feel. Before you know it, you’ll be dancing too.
The evening will open with a warming cup of hot chocolate, followed by raw cocoa nibs and then a choice of chocolates from around the world — including white, milk and dark varieties. From there you’ll get into classic ganache truffles followed by tea-infused ganache truffles (your choice of milk chocolate peppermint, dark chocolate lady grey tea or coconut milk ganache chai tea) and end with the premiere of the Specialty Burnt Rose Caramel (burnt sugar caramel with a touch of rose oil, topped with a combo of sweet white and bitter dark chocolate).
Move over, singing telegram
The chocolates are all natural using no chemicals, and made by Sipe with help from her dancers. They infuse a little bit of each of their personalities into each piece of chocolate by incorporating unique toppings like coconut and paprika into shapes and designs on each truffle. In addition to the Valentine’s Tasting Performance, chocolates can be purchased from the Chocolate Dances website, with the option to send a telegram, which includes not only a box of chocolates but a special dance as well.
If you go
A Valentine’s Tasting Performance
Feb. 14th and 15th, 6:30 and 9 p.m.
100 Grand St.
$25 for seniors and children, $35 for adults, $60 for a pair, $50 at the door, 347-439-1745
www.chocolatedances.com
