THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 9, 1994 TAG: 9412070176
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 5P EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Marlene Ford
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
Every year for the past seven Christmases, Tattercoats Ltd., an organization that provides performance opportunities for young people, has presented a holiday ballet production. This year they are back and performing a work titled ``How the Children Found Christmas.''
Performances of ``How the Children Found Christmas'' are 8 p.m. today, 2 p.m. Saturday, and 2 and 4 p.m. Sunday at the Virginia Beach Center for the Arts. Admission is $6 and $8.
``We promote art among children for children and by children,'' company director Gail Barnes said. ``Every year 2,000 students from area schools and home schools attend and then we also do performances open to the public.''
The cast includes 40 members, mostly youngsters, the original story is about a young girl's discovery of the meaning of Christmas and the performances are a kid-friendly one hour in length.
Tattercoats was formed in 1979 in Atlanta, Ga., by Barnes and her husband, Tom. The team has written and produced 12 original ballets, which have been performed in South Carolina, Georgia and Hampton Roads.
``A lot of our dancers have been with us for six years now and grown up with our little company. They go from mime and character dancing to en pointe,'' Barnes said. ``But what I always love most about working with children is they always give 100 percent - and it shows.''
The dance styles include romantic and classical ballet, character dancing and jazz. The music for the festive dance program comes from the music of Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich, Lehar, Strauss, Glazunov and Joplin.
For more information or reservations, call 420-6633 or 420-6611.
THE MUSICAL ``PETER PAN'' continues at the Virginia Stage Company. As it turns out, even more local actors have taken wing and are included in this cast.
Ryan Drescher, a seventh-grader at Norfolk Academy, plays the part of First Twin and Jane. Also of Virginia Beach are Neal Shrader as John Darling and Michael Barriskill as Black Murphy and Happy Child. William R. Rice, an eighth-grader at Virginia Beach Middle School, plays the part of Second Twin.
Based on James M. Barrie's play, this musical about eternal boyhood, pirates, children who fly, a crocodile, Indians and, of course, Tinkerbell is a musical for the entire family. Tickets range from $10 to $30. For information about the show, which continues through Dec. 11, call 627-1234.
PHILIP DEAL, 14, another young area artist, is performing ``The Nutcracker'' with the Kirov Ballet and Kirov Academy in Miami Beach's Jackie Gleason Theater. The company continues with performances this month at San Jose (Calif.) Center for the Performing Arts.
Deal attends the Kirov Academy in Washington, a school under the artistic direction of Oleg Vinogradov. Vinogradov also directs the Kirov Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. Each year students from the American-based academy join with the Russian company for an authentic performance of the ballet, based on the original vision of Tchaikovsky and choreography of Marius Petipa. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Katie Nattermann, left, Stephanie Sandlen, Meagan Hooper and
Adrienne Wolford star in ``How the Children Found Christmas.''
by CNB