THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 8, 1995 TAG: 9512060154
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 99 lines
If you need a good shot of culture at the hands of some talented Chesapeake folks, you can listen to a concert by Chesapeake's own Hardwick Chamber Ensemble on WFOS. Or attend this weekend's performance of ``Mr. Crumple's Christmas Crisis,'' produced by the Tattercoats Ltd. dance theater productions.
``Mr. Crumple's Christmas Crisis'' is the eighth annual original ballet produced by Tattercoats Ltd., a non-profit organization formed in 1979.
The production takes place at the Virginia Beach Center for the Arts tonight, tomorrow and Sunday.
``Mr. Crumple's Christmas Crisis,'' written and choreographed by the company's founder, Gail Barnes, is the story of a forgetful old man and a young girl, who gives her all to save her town from the greedy villain, Mr. Neevas Marble.
The story, which deals with the true meaning of the season, includes street urchins and a grand masquerade ball where fairy tales come to life.
Music by classical composers will be used to enliven the production, said Tom Barnes, one of the production's principal dancers and also its set and costume designer.
Tattercoats Ltd. was founded by Gail and Tom Barnes in Athens, Ga. The two have written and produced 13 original ballets, which have been performed in South Carolina, Georgia and South Hampton Roads.
Highlighted in the production will be the work of two young dancers from Chesapeake: Callie Medhurst, the 15-year-old daughter of Martha and William Medhurst, and Leah Martin, the 15-year-old daughter of Susan and David Martin.
Barnes said the girls really shine on stage.
``They have been studying with us for the past eight years,'' Barnes said. ``And they are now considered part of our performing core. Those core members are usually given hard choreography and are selected for solo spots.''
During the ballet's second act, Leah will dance a pas de deux as an Arabian princess with Tyler Barnes. Callie will dance a pas de deux as Beauty to Tom Barnes' Beast.
``We think they're absolutely wonderful,'' Barnes said. ``We've gotten tremendous feedback about their performances and the overall production from our earlier school productions. In their ensemble work they're just terrific little dancers. Their work is very advanced.''
Barnes said the two each practice ballet for about six hours per week, on top of eight to 10 hours per week in rehearsal time. He said he and his wife have seen them improve over the years.
``We've seen them grow and change and mature into very competent dancers.''
``Mr. Crumple's Christmas Crisis,'' presented by Tattercoats Ltd., will be performed at 8 p.m., Friday; 2 p.m., Saturday; and 2 and 4 p.m., Sunday at the Virginia Beach Center for the Arts, 2200 Parks Ave. Tickets, which are $6 for students and seniors and $8 for adults, are available at the Harvest Company on Volvo Parkway and the Harvest Company at the Providence Square Shopping Center, Virginia Beach. Call 498-2627 for more information and to reserve tickets.
The Hardwick Chamber Ensemble, the Chesapeake-based classical and contemporary classical music ensemble, will be featured today at 2:05 p.m. on WFOS-FM 88.7 as part of its ``Friday Matinee'' weekly series.
The program will broadcast a live concert performance by the ensemble that took place at the Chesapeake Central Library March 21.
Featured performers in the program are ensemble members John Winsor on clarinet, Jeanette Winsor on piano and Suzanne Schreck on violin, along with guest artist Robert Ford on trombone.
During that concert, the four musicians exclusively performed the works of William Grant Still (1895-1978), the leading member of the first generation of serious African American composers.
Known as ``The Dean of Negro Musicians,'' Still premiered his ``Afro-American Symphony'' in Rochester, N.Y., in 1931 with the Eastman Rochester Philharmonic. It was the first time a full symphony by a black composer was performed by a major American orchestra.
Still's music included work for symphonic orchestra, opera, ballet, chamber music and commercial music, including scores for films and such classic television series as ``Gunsmoke'' and ``Perry Mason.'' His opera, ``Troubled Island'' (1941), was the first by a black composer performed by a major opera company, the New York Opera Company.
At the March 21 concert, the Hardwick musicians performed ``Pastorela for Violin and Piano,'' ``Bells,'' ``Summerland,'' ``Miniatures,'' ``Romance for Trombone and Piano'' and ``Suite for Violin and Piano.''
As a special treat the March 21 taped concert also featured an appearance by Still's daughter, Judith Anne Still, who presented a lecture about her father's life and music.
``There's some exceptional music making by this ensemble,'' said WFOS program director Dennis McCurdy. ``Suzanne Schreck and John Winsor are just marvelous. The `Romance for Trombone and Piano' is a standout piece. This is well worth hearing, showing that Chesapeake has its own standout classical group.''
The broadcast is engineered by Edward Johnson, an Indian River High School student.
For more information about today's program, call the station at 547-1036. ILLUSTRATION: Starring in ``Mr. Crumple's Christmas Crisis'' are, from left:
Tom Barnes, Leah Martin and Callie Medhurst.
by CNB