DECEMBER 2, 2016, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A5
KeizerCommunity
KEIZERTIMES.COM
McNary senior leads The Snowman’s Dance
By DEREK WILEY
Of the Keizertimes
It’s not Christmas at City
Dance Theatre until the stu-
dio’s annual performances of
The Snowman’s Dance.
“As much as Nutcracker is
a tradition in the ballet world,
this has become a tradition for
our families,” director Zoe-Lisa
Banton said. “My kids know
nothing happens in my house
until after Snowman’s over and
then we do the tree and every-
one’s ready.”
McNary senior Sydney
Martindale, who has been in
the show all 10 years, agrees.
“We always get our Christ-
mas tree the day after Snow-
man,” she said. “It gets us ready.”
The 11th annual perfor-
mances will take place Satur-
day, Dec. 3 at noon and 3 p.m.
in McNary High School’s Ken
Collins Theater.
Tickets are available for $10
in advance at the studio or the
door but the 3 p.m. show is
nearly sold out.
Martindale started at City
Dance Theater in the fi rst
grade, was a snow bunny in
the inaugural performance of
The Snowman’s Dance and has
worked her way up to playing
the lead Snowman.
We are
Everything
Except
Overpriced
When she’s not a snow-
man, Martindale has spent the
past two summers working at
Enchanted Forest as a princess
and volunteering at Clear Lake
Elementary.
She’s also been in two mu-
sicals with the McNary drama
department—Legally
Blonde
and Beauty and the Beast.
The Snowman’s Dance fea-
tures 165 kids, ages 2-18, from
all over Salem-Keizer playing
everything from tapping rein-
deer to hip hopping Santas to
little baby snowfl akes.
“I always say it’s a magic
journey of friendship of a
snowman and a little girl and
they get to explore each oth-
er’s worlds and all the different
characters come to life,” Ban-
ton said. “ We have people that
see it ever year and cry. It’s a
fun holiday message of friend-
ship and magic and imagina-
tion.”
Tho show is loosely based
on the children’s picture book
by Raymond Briggs, turned
animated television special—
The Snowman.
“It’s kind of a dream for me
because when I was 15 and
starting to get into teaching
and was training as a dancer,
this was when The Snowman
was huge in England where I
grew up,” Banton said. “The
music was so inspiring to me as
a dancer at that time and I kept
saying to my mom and dad
one day I’m going to make this
into a show. Eleven years ago
KEIZERTIMES/Derek Wiley
McNary senior Sydney Martindale, left, playing The Snowman, enjoys a rehersal of The Snowman’s Dance at City Dance Theatre with
Delaney Rothmeyer, who plays the Little Girl. The show is Saturday, Dec. 3 at noon and 3 p.m. at McNary High School.
it was the right group of kids.”
Banton’s The Snowman’s
Dance has music from The
Snowman but also Harry Pot-
ter and The Firm. Ballet, tap,
jazz, hip hop, lyrical and con-
temporary dance are all repre-
sented.
Give your home the
Simple
Cremation
$795
Encore Treatment
Inexpensive Burial
and Funeral Options
W INDOWS & D OORS
[S HOWER D OORS ]
M IRRORS & S KYLIGHTS
C USTOM T ABLE T OPS
Pre-Planning Available
On-Site Crematory
4365 RIVER RD N, KEIZER
503.393.7037
Se habla español
VISIT OUR SHOWROOM
1450 Front St - Salem
503958192559
www9encoreglass9co
Encore
Glass
“We cover everything that
we teach,” Banton said. “Those
classes are all represented.”
While the story remains the
same, characters change ever
year.
“This year we are bringing
in wooden soldiers,” Banton
said. “It’s kind of a Rockette
number with some of my older
kids and we’ve never done that
before. Last year we brought in
an owl to our forest scene. We
add different things each year
to jazz it up.”
The show lasts about an
hour and 15 minutes.
“We just kind of hit them
in the face with everything
and they walk out crying and
ready for Christmas,” Banton
said. “My in-laws are Jewish
and they come every year and
love it.”
Santa Claus to fl y into town
The Salem-Keizer Volca-
noes will play host to this sea-
son’s biggest star when Santa
Claus fl ies into Volcanoes
Stadium at noon on Saturday,
Dec. 3.
Keizer kids are invited to
come to the stadium early
to get a good place in line
to get in to talk to Santa and
tell him what they want for
Christmas.
St. Nick will be at the sta-
dium to 3 p.m. or until the
last good little boy or girl has
seen him and gotten a candy
cane.
Free photographs will be
available of Keizer kids on
Santa’s lap.
File
Santa Claus will be at Salem-Keizer Volcanoes Stadium
Saturday, Dec. 3 from noon to 3 p.m.
CCB #196078
Heritage
Christmas
ATTENTION
KEIZER
HOMEOWNERS
VISIT US TODAY
And learn how to
qualify for
UP TO $ 1,300
in cash incentives!
Thursday, Dec. 15
5:30-7:30 pm
Visit with Santa Claus
•
Carols
•
Refreshments
•
Stories & Art
980 Chemawa Rd. N.E. | 503-393-9660 | www.keizerheritage.org
1695 Market St NE, Salem
CCB#48630 • 503.364.6339
homefi restove.com • salemgrill.com
As an Energy Trust of Oregon
trade ally, we can help you
access cash incentives to
make it easier to improve
your home’s energy effi ciency.