‘12 Days of Christmas’ musical and dance extravaganza to be held at MHS

A number of community groups are joining to produce a Christmas musical and dance extravaganza, “The 12 Days of Christmas,” at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 22, in the Mathews High School auditorium.

The signature of the event is a ballet, “The 12 Days of Christmas,” composed in 1961 by Lorraine Y. Eastman and shown annually in Richmond for many years. The music has been revived by her family members, including daughter Nina Buzby of Mathews, and new dances based on the music and memories of the old (the original choreography by Marjorie Faye Underhill is lost) will be performed by members of the Bayside Youth Ballet and other dancers.

Combining for the program will be the Bayside Youth Ballet directed by Debbie Diggs, guest dancers from Gloucester Parks and Recreation Diggs School of Dance, the Peasley Middle School Chorus directed by Paul Otto, Courthouse Community Orchestra conducted by Kathy Tucker, the Mathews Community Kids led by Patrick Billups, Ware Academy Handbell Choir led by Aaron Ward, and Bayside alumni and parents.

In all, according to Debbie Diggs, more than 100 musicians and dancers will be involved.

The Courthouse Community Orchestra will perform seasonal music such as Christmas Rocks at the Pops, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, and Glorious Sounds of Christmas. The orchestra will open each half of the program, which will pause for an intermission, and close by leading a sing-along of favorite carols.

The Ware Handbell Choir will perform Frosty the Snowman, Little Drummer Boy, Jingle Bells, Jolly Old Saint Nicholas and Joy to the World.

The Mathews Community Kids are rehearsing Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Jingle Bells, Deck the Halls and We Wish you a Merry Christmas.

Peasley’s chorus is preparing three selections, Everywhere Christmas Tonight, In Terra Pax and Simple Song of Peace.

For months, the ballet troupe has been rehearsing The 12 Days of Christmas, which Buzby said sets the familiar characters of that tale (seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, etc.) to entirely different music which her mother composed. Lorraine Y. Eastman, now 101 and still living in Richmond, was a music teacher and pianist for the Virginia Ballet Theater and the Virginia Theater Dance Ensemble Society. The ballet was a Richmond tradition until 1974 and lay dormant until Buzby, who is a retired Gloucester school teacher, digitally printed the handwritten score. She then recorded the music with her sister and brother-in-law, Judith Eastman Britton and Rex Britton, and pianist John Walter, all of Richmond; and their playing, now on DVD, will provide the score for the dancers.

Diggs said a volunteer army of parents and others has prepared costumes for countless hours, including sewing more than 1,000 features onto tutus to turn the dancers into French hens, turtle doves, swans and other figures.

Several other dances are also on the program, including Les Patineurs, a one-act ballet depicting a Victorian skating party.

Kathy Tucker said such a widespread Christmas celebration is, to her, “what community is all about” and Diggs added, “This is a community event and we would like to make it a tradition every year.”

It all began when Buzby began work on her mother’s composition and approached the Bayside Youth Ballet about reviving it. The rest of the program evolved in support of this signature event, and the organizers found that all the other groups were ready and willing to join in.

Dancers age 9 to an orchestra member age 92 illustrate the scope of the effort, which includes 33 dancers from Bayside, Parks and Rec, and the Diggs School, 19 dancing alumni and parents (providing the lords and ladies), about 24 from the Peasley chorus, 12 from the Ware Handbell Choir, 15 in Mathews Community Kids and 37 in the orchestra, plus the Eastman family musicians who recorded the DVD … in total 110 or more taking part.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 10, with proceeds supporting the expense of putting on the show. They may be purchased in advance at The Silver Box in Gloucester, the Mathews Visitor & Information Center, Diggs School of Dance studios in Gloucester and Mathews, or by e-mailing basideballet@gmail.com.