Virginia non-profit celebrates 22nd annual holiday tradition

RICHMOND, Va. — The Epiphany of the Three Kings Day is a vacation custom that’s celebrated world wide and in Virginia.

A non-profit group is sharing a ardour via Latin cultural dance experiences and is celebrating its twenty second annual vacation manufacturing of the Legend of the Poinsettia.

“It is such a wonderful manufacturing, it is principally form of just like the Nutcracker one thing that you realize, a efficiency, a manufacturing that we do yearly,” Marisol Betancourt Sotolongo, the inventive director for the Latin Ballet of Virginia, mentioned.

The occasion is introduced by the Latin Ballet of Virginia which was based in 1997 by Anna Ines King who now serves as emerita and guide. The dance celebrates the 12 days after Christmas that are also called the Epiphany or Three Kings Day.

“Lots of people within the Hispanic tradition rejoice the Three Kings Day and Christmas, they do not, We do not simply rejoice it simply in December. So we prolonged it up till in regards to the second week in January,” Sotolongo mentioned.

The Legend of the Poinsettia options skilled dancers and junior and little firm dancers. Marisol has been performing with the corporate for greater than 20 years.

“It is wonderful enthusiastic about it. And it is like, wow, it has really been 22 years. Once I began, I used to be just a bit angel strolling throughout the stage,” Sotolongo mentioned.

Sotolongo was solely three when she began with the corporate. Her courses with the Latin Ballet paid off when the then-tiny dancer landed a spot within the ballet’s little firm.

“After which from there I moved on to the junior firm after which the skilled firm after which I used to be the director of the junior firm for some time and now I am the inventive director,” Sotolongo mentioned.

At 26, Marisol is without doubt one of the youngest inventive administrators within the space.

“So, I believe it is stunning, I imply, to have the ability to take part within the manufacturing for therefore lengthy,” Sotolongo mentioned.

Primarily based on a Mexican legend, the efficiency depicts the story of a lady named Maria who wished a present for child Jesus.

“So she was so unhappy that she could not discover something to get child Jesus after which she discovered a handful of weeds. And so since she gave from her coronary heart these weeds become poinsettia flowers,” Sotolongo mentioned.

Maria would then study in regards to the true which means of Christmas, a lesson Marisol mentioned is for everybody.

“That it doesn’t matter what presents you give to anyone, so long as you give from the guts, that is a wonderful present. It does not must be materialistic,” Sontolongo mentioned.

In her few months into her reign as inventive director, Marisol has had the prospect to replicate on her new position.

“It has been a beautiful expertise so far. It’s arduous. I am not gonna say it is easy,” Sontolongo mentioned. “However I have been below Ms. Ana’s wing for therefore lengthy. So it is form of made it simpler for me to tackle such a giant position.”

You possibly can see The Legend of the Poinsettia on the Cultural Arts Middle at Glen Allen on Saturday at 3 p.m. and seven:30 p.m.