Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Main Street

Mary Ann Cook

Betty McClendon's head still dances with ideas

PREMIERE: Betty McClendon is still lending her ideas and experience to local dance groups. Latest feather to be added to her venerable dancing teacher's cap is the idea for a new ballet, titled Play Ball! The dance is one of four ballets to be presented by the San Jose Dance Theatre II April 24-26 at the Louis B. Mayer Theatre at Santa Clara University. The Honor Company, top students ages 12-18 from the San Jose Dance Theatre Academy, will perform in the mixed repertory, and three of the four dances are premieres. The fourth will be excerpts from the first act of Giselle.

The McClendon-inspired ballet is a dance depiction of a baseball game. In the manner of Peter and the Wolf, each musical theme signifies a different character. Instead of ducks and wolves, these characters will be a pitcher, batter and catcher.

McClendon put on a similar ballet years ago at a dance camp in the East, and later at the Los Gatos Academy of Dance. Paul Curtis and Shawn Stuart founded the academy, which later moved to become the San Jose Dance Theatre. McClendon was Curtis' first dance teacher.

At the Los Gatos Academy, McClendon taught ballroom dance, Curtis, ballet. After Curtis retired, Gary Palmer was named executive artistic director. McClendon will sit in on rehearsals and offer ideas as the number evolves.

A youth orchestra will accompany the dancers, and McClendon already has their curtain call staged. "They'll take a bow wearing baseball caps." Other premieres are by Amanda Goldman and Don Schwennesen, two who are just beginning their choreographic careers. For tickets, call 293-5665.

PRESIDENTIAL LEADERS: Are leadership qualities passed down directly via the gene pool? One would think so, if a glance at local service and educational club rosters is any indication. To wit: The Los Gatos Rotary is currently being led by Steve Rice, whose father, Mannie, was president a few years back. Mannie is president of the Lincoln Shoe Polish Company, and Steve is a financial planner.

On the female side of the ledger, the current president of the Los Gatos-Saratoga branch of the AAUW is Jennifer Madden, whose mother, Mary Ellen Madden, was president of that group in 1994-95. Jennifer is account manager for Meta Creations and travels a lot, so relies on former pres and current mother Mary to perform as backup for all those presidential duties when she's out of town.

MAPLE SYRUP AND SUCH: The Los Gatos Elks Club building at Santa Cruz Avenue and Blossom Hill Road is the site of the 46th annual pancake breakfast March 1, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., sponsored by Willow Glen Kiwanis. Alastair Dallas of Infospect Software Inc. reports that she and her children attended last year, had a wonderful time and plan a repeat this year.

The only thing they missed was the sight of more of their neighbors, an oversight we hope to correct. Eleanor Lewis is Willow Glen club president. Incidentally, the Los Gatos Kiwanis Club was the first local service group to include women in its ranks.

What's that got to do with pancakes? Nothing, unless you think women and pancakes are closely allied.

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR: There's a new position at the library, volunteer coordinator, with a new person to fill it. She's Susan Buxton and she's been teacher, head of the Art Docents and active in successful school bond campaigns. With her aboard, expect to see more outreach programs, such as volunteers reading to the elderly or shut-ins, or transporting books to them.

A grandparent program is also soon to get under way. In this one, surrogate grandparents read to preschoolers at designated times. The idea of a rocking chair for this pursuit has been scrapped, however, for fear of toddlers getting too close to the rockers. This is the L.G. Library's 100th anniversary year, so a big huzzah is in order. More on those celebratory doings later.

HONOREES: Mike Abkin and Wes Peyton will be honored for their service to the town as members of the Planning Commission at a dinner March 12, 6:30 p.m. at Los Gatos Lodge. Abkin has served since '88, was active in the general plan's housing and Highway 85 elements, the open space study and the noise ordinance. Peyton has served on the commission since 1995, and participated in the LG Boulevard plan and design, in Old Town redevelopment and on the Trails and Bikeways Committee. To place your name on the list of appreciators, call Marilyn Cosden at 354-6874 by March 2.

FOSTER FREEZE: This hasn't been a stellar year healthwise for Mother Goose, a.k.a. Mary Foster. This time she's recovering from a hernia operation. Before that she was nursing a broken foot. Last fall it was a broken leg. But her worst experience was undergoing a barium treatment. A procedure that was to take 45 minutes became a three-hour ordeal. Foster is volunteer curator at Forbes Mill; Beverly Pavarnik, executive director, holds forth at the history museum during Foster's recuperation. Current exhibit is of old medical equipment.

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