Date: Fri 13-Jun-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

Lathrop-Stardust-Revue-dancers

Full Text:

Macarena Meets Tradition: The 45th Lathrop Stardust Revue

(with photos)

BY STEVE BIGHAM

Edmond Town Hall was packed to the rafters last weekend as the Lathrop School

of Dance presented its annual "Stardust Revue," a 45-year old tradition for

dancers in and around Newtown.

The annual recital presents dancers of the Newtown-based school in a number of

performances, showcasing everyone's talents and creativity. So well received

and anticipated, last Saturday evening's performance was sold out days in

advance of the performance.

And once again, school co-founder Ginny Lathrop's dancers put on a top-flight

performance. From the junior dancers to the highly acclaimed Stardusters, all

performers lit up the stage.

Those who saw it won't soon forget the Hickory Dickory Dolls, the Wild West

Cowgirls, and the crowd-pleasing Ryan Braun and the Copa Cuties. Traditional

dances like the Tarantella, Tappin' Around the Clock and Mack the Knife were

sandwiched in with more modern routines as Jazzin' the Macarena, a takeoff

from last summer's dance craze.

"I'm so proud of all the dancers. It turned out to be a wonderful

performance," Mrs Lathrop said Monday. "Every show was practically a

sell-out."

After a dress rehearsal Thursday afternoon, the curtain went up five times

between Friday night and Sunday. Evening performances were offered Friday and

Saturday nights, with a one matinee Saturday afternoon and another pair of

afternoon performances on Sunday.

If you have never been to the "Stardust Revue," Mrs Lathrop wants you to know

what you're missing.

A "Stardust Revue" consists of over 40 back-to-back routines, with very short

breaks between each group being on stage. A 12-minute intermission breaks up

the show about midway through, and then it's right back to the dancing... and

watching for favorite performaners.

"We have fathers who protest about going to the revue, but they always end up

having a great time and say they plan on coming back next year," she said.

Mrs Lathrop gave special thanks to her assistants, especially Diane Wardenburg

- "Miss Diane" to her students - who has been with the school for 37 years.

Also honored were dancers who have been with Lathrop School for 36, 31, 28, 24

years and on down. Many of the adult dancers have been with the school longer

than some of the youngest students have been alive, which gives Lathrop an air

of living history within the studio's walls.

Mrs Lathrop founded the dance school in the early 1950s with her late husband,

Mack. There are currently 400 students enrolled in the school.

Last month, Mrs Lathrop was honored with the Gail Smith Award from Youth

Services of Newtown. The award is presented to those in the community who have

worked to iprove the quality of life for the youth of Newtown.

(Shannon Hicks contributed to this story.)