THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, December 4, 1995 TAG: 9512040072
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SUE VANHECKE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 48 lines
Call it dancing for dollars, hoofing for hope, crooning for cash. For the 15th year in a row, local dancers and singers will donate their time and talents Wednesday night to raise money for the Joy Fund, a charitable organization that assists needy youngsters during the holidays.
Students of the Lakewood Dance and Music Center, part of the Norfolk Department of Recreation, Parks and General Services, present ``Dance Magic,'' their annual dance and music showcase, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night at Portsmouth's Willett Hall.
They hope to add $6,000 more to the $61,000 total they've gathered in years past, said Janet McManus, dance music supervisor with the city of Norfolk.
The students, ranging in age from 4-year-olds to senior citizens, will be joined by local media celebrities and performing groups. WVEC-TV 13 news anchor Barbara Ciara will sing and serve as mistress of ceremonies. Members of the Virginia Ballet Theater and Beth's School of Dance will appear.
``There will be a lot of little kids, but we have just as many adults as we do children performing,'' McManus said. ``They perform by age group and together.''
It's also a mixture of themes and styles, McManus added, including holiday-oriented pieces and country western, ballroom and other dance styles.
``It started as a bureau (fund-raising) project,'' McManus said of ``Dance Magic's'' 1980 launch. ``All the rec centers used to find ways to raise money. Of course, being a dance studio, we thought, well, we'll dance, we'll put on a show. So, we just started a little, teeny show in one of our rec centers and it sold out.
``It went so well that we just kept moving on up. We went from there to the ODU Tech Theater, then we outgrew that and went to the Opera House, which was the Center Theater then. And then we did Chrysler Hall.''
With the musical ``Phantom of the Opera'' at Chrysler Hall into January, this year's ``Dance Magic'' will be presented at Willett Hall.
General admission tickets to ``Dance Magic'' are $6, with all proceeds to benefit the Joy Fund. Tickets will not be sold at the door, but are available through Wednesday afternoon at the Lakewood Dance and Music Center, 1612 Willowwood Drive in Norfolk, and in Portsmouth at the office of Dr. Debra Aleck, 3300 High St., Ste. 2, between 9 a.m. and noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. by CNB