Debra Heath-Strickland grew up a poor, little girl in Colquitt, Ga, with big, rich dreams.
“I always dreamed of being a Rockette,” said The Village of Hadley resident in her honey-sweet Georgia accent. “Every little girl dreams of being a Rockette.”
But money was scarce and there was no way to afford dancing lessons and buy costumes. So, Heath-Strickland spent her time making costumes for her dolls, reading holiday tales and imagining wistful, Christmas fantasies.
This December, Heath-Strickland and Questar Productions will make one fantasy come true. The 2015 Savannah Center Christmas Spectacular will feature the style of the Radio City Rockettes, including everything from high-kicking dancers to a manger scene and the arrival of the Magi.
It will be held Dec. 3-5 at the Savannah Center, and tickets go on sale Oct. 1. Proceeds will be donated to the Pocket Pillowcase Dress Club and the Salvation Army.
The program combines the talents of about 100 Villagers, including 50 dancers. It is jam packed with glitzy costumes and flashy choreography. The list of characters includes 16 toy soldiers, 15 rocking Santas and 10 dancing ragdolls.
And let’s not forget one camel.
For Heath-Strickland the show is the fulfillment of a childhood journey.
“I was lucky enough to grow up in a family with lots of tender, loving care but very little money,” she said. “I was going to be a showgirl but I couldn’t take lessons so I became a costume designer. I was always picking up scraps and dressing my dolls. But I kept thinking about the Rockettes.”
Heath-Strickland, now costume mistress at the Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center, is the creative force behind the myriad of glittering costumes that will dominate the spectacular. She had help making the clothes from Carlene Beste, Bev Castanian, Karen Donavon, Jan Beddia and Jan Wagner.
It took all of them to make local dancers resemble the Rockettes.
You can get a sneak peak at the show here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71vgvKOh0j0
“I never got to see the Rockettes in person until I came to The Villages,” Heath-Strickland said. She is co-directing the spectacular with Linda Berthiaume. There are eight choreographers including Diana Cecil, who doubles as a Toy Soldier.
“Every dancer aspires to dance like the Rockettes,” Cecil said. “They are the elite group of this kind of dance style.” The list of guest performers in the show includes former prima ballerina Diane Vargas and dancers from her Evolution Company; Aloha O Ka Hula, the Dorells; Jeri Lynn Frazier, Sue Schuler and David Leshay.
Cecil has been in numerous shows in The Villages over the past decade, but claims this spectacular is one of the most demanding and entertaining.
“Debra (Heath-Strickland) is pulling out all the stops and bringing her vision to life” she said. “This all started about two years ago. The dancers are putting everything they have into this show and it’s a lot of work.”
Heath-Strickland likes to say that the dancers are, “only a couple of years older than the Rockettes – we’re trying to show what they would look like as they age a little bit.”
Age is relative, and Heath-Strickland said her dancers range from about 55-72 and they can still kick.
“This is something all of us showgirls want to do,” she said.
One of the dancers is Cathye Leshay, performing in her 12th major production.
“Debra (Heath-Strickland) brings an unbelievable amount of energy to this show,” Leshay said. “It’s not just the dancing, but also the costumes, the music and getting all the people working together to make it happen.”
Just like all the dancers in the show, Leshay always wanted to be one of the Rockettes.
“I started dancing as a kid and now, 60 years later, I get to be a Rockette. That makes my Christmas.”
But what is the magic all about?
Leshay thought a moment and said: “It’s about the boom, pizazz and all those high kicks. It makes you feel good all over.”
Just like Christmas.
