“GETTYSBURG” A Lyrical Ballet By: “The Gotta Dance Studio”
The Tupper Lake Civil War Enrichment Days is proud to present the Gotta Dance Studio’s performance(s) of “Gettysburg”. The performance(s) interprets the “Battle of Gettysburg”, using Lyrical Ballet. The ballet is broken down into a 25 part synopsis of the battle. The Gotta Dance Studio is located in Massena, NY, and is under the direction of Jane Dubray. The following hyper-link at the bottom of this paragraph will assist you in learning more about this unique interpretation of the largest battle fought in the western hemisphere & the wonderful talent it takes to perform such a production. The Gotta Dance Studio has performed “Gettysburg” @ several Civil War Encampment Re-enactments, such as: Lewis, NY & Massena, NY. The productions were a huge hit with the general public, especially among re-enactors.
The battle was fought on July 1st-3rd, 1863. The clash of nearly 170,000 soldiers, by coincidence, on a cross-roads town located in Southern PA., would result in 52,000 casualties in that three day period. More Americans would die on the first day (July 1st), than would perish on D-Day @ the beaches of Normandy, France during WWII. The “Battle of Gettysburg” was called the “Turning Point” in the American Civil War, simply because it would be the last time the Army of Northern Virginia, commanded by Robert E. Lee, would ever be able to mount an offensive strike into northern territory again. On the second day of the battle, two areas of focus would dominate the battle. Two strategic hills known as the “Round Tops” would see some of the most fiercest fighting in history. Located at the base of these hills lay “ The Wheatfield”. Thousands of lives would be lost in the struggle to occupy this field. The 2nd objective on the second day was known as “Culp’s Hill”. Confederate troops tried desperately to dislodge stubborn, dug-in Union troops. Thousands of soldiers again would die in the attempt, but the hill would never be taken. On the third day, Robert E. Lee, ordered Pickett’s Charge, which saw roughly13,000 Confederate soldiers march across a 2 mile open field in an attempt to break the Union’s center line, defended by roughly 7,000 Union troops behind a man-made stone wall. The cost was devastating to the confederate forces, with 1/3 of Lee’s attacking force either dead or wounded on the field. Thus ended the “Battle of Gettysburg” & the South’s last hope to shift the war onto Northern soil. Please join us @ the Civil War Enrichment Days this year (Sept. 12th-14th), as the Gotta Dance Studio immortalizes this epic battle.