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Show HANSEN HOUSE preterits HUM I continued Aerobic Which, of course, it often is. The youngsters are being asked to look deep within themselves and come up by age 17 with answers to the questions: Do I have what it takes? Should I make this my whole life? Talent is all around us, Eskow says, but the trick is to identify it and then help the students to see themselves as talented entities rather than as street kids. Most schools see a student as an empty vessel to fill with knowledge, he explains. We believe that these kids are the reverse. You go to a medical school and come out a doctor. Here, the actor or dancer or musician already exists, and our job is to peel away the' layers preventing that professional from emerging. At 6 a.m. on weekdays, dance student Corinth Booker wakes up in Harlem, does his chores, takes his little sister to a babysitters apartment and then rides the crowded subway down from the ghetto to the very different world of g Performing Arts. He attends his classes, goes through practice sessions, takes more dance classes on the side and works as a busboy three nights a week. He has his chance, yet he knows time is already running out. They want these young dancers out there, says student Terri Hall. Its like, if youre 20, youre old! I mean, at 16, Im halfway over. Im really so unsure about what I want now. If 1 went to college, I wouldnt major in dance because the level isnt high enough. Should I stay in New York when I graduate? On the Fame series, you never see any of the characters going through these changes. Henry Rinehart, also 16, says he has lost his adolescence by having had to make his own way in the city while studying acting at P.A. His parents are separated, so he lives at another students apartment and copes on his own. Im supposed to be a teenager growing up. he reflects, but I look at myself and find that Ive already done it. The reality, Henry says, is learning about failure: They tell us. If you're going to fail, do it here and go all the way. Fail big. Because you learn so much from having to pick yourself up and go on. In deciding whether to continue as performers, were really experiencing how to face life. NinaLoMonaco, 17, is another part of the reality, practicing her French horn on the staircase, blowing it so loudly that the paint starts chipping and falling down all around her. While other young people are off having a good time, she studies and practices hour after hour. She says she often wonders: My God, am I making the biggest mistake of my life? What am I doing this for?" Should Nina skip regular college and try to become one of the best musicians in the country? I can understand people getting discouraged, she says, but thats fine because itll mean less competition for me. Im going to reach as high as I can, and if I don't make it, thats my problem. But I have to take this chance. Now. Is the punishing life of a dancer the only way Corinth Booker can break out of Harlem and the urban jungle? How will Henry Rinehart know, really, if he has what it takes to be a professional actor? Does Terri Hall honestly want the life of a dancer to the exclusion of so much else? In the real world, these youngsters are at the edge of adolescence, looking out at an unclear future. Yet they have to make decisions about leaping into it. Theyre seeking an answer some sort of message that will make them decide one way or another. For Lydia Joel, the answer comes every day. As we sit in the tiny office from which she runs the dance department, the pounding of a practice piano underscores the sound of dancers practicing in a studio two floors above. In another room, a student orchestra plays. Down the hall, some acting students rehearse a scene from Euripides. These kids are beautiful in the right sense of the word, Lydia Joel says. The sounds of this school are the sounds of involvement. Then she picks up a postcard from a former dance student: "I would like to thank you for recommending me. I did very well at the audition and made it to the last 15 out of 300 girls. But nothing came of it. Well, maybe next time. I'm not going to give up. I love it too much. She puts down the postcard. She sighs. One very beautiful girl who was doing quite well came to me last year and told me shed decided to become a nurse instead of a dancer. The flame inside her burned toward nursing. But here, she points to the postcard, the flame is toward the dance as a way of life. Thats how it bums. Flame not fame is the message. muscle-numbin- j The exciting, new, easy way to look good, feel good, and have fun . . . . . . exercising to music! A carefully designed exercise program . . including illustrations, verbal instructions and graphic charts to measure your personal improvement . . . plus a colorful, poster-size- , AUGUST 22, 1982 9 calorie-counte- chart. r Aerobic means moving rhythmically to music. It's the easy, natural way to exercise, and a lot more fun! Get away from boring calisthenics (which no one ever sticks to), trying to fit an exercise class into your busy schedule and expensive health clubs. You'll be able to lose weight, condition your heart and lungs and have fun with good musicl Jj Set your own pace The quickest way to firm and tone your muscles, get in shape and stay in shape, all in the comfort of your own home. Written and researched by Barbara Ann Auer THE COMPLETE PACKACE includes: A carefully designed, illustrated book. (over 100 illustrations, and 40 exercises). Record album (or cassette) of pop music plus verbal instruction. calorie-counte- r A colorful poster-style- , chart. GUARANTEED RESULTS OR YOUR MONEY BACK n'y I cassette package NO RISKOrde 11.95 P06222 Evelyn Street Paramus, New Jersey 07652 Please rush me Complete Aerobic Dance & Exercise Package(s). which includes: Fully illustrated Instruction Book. Record Album and Calorie Counter Chart. Enclosed is my check or money order for 9.95 Record 11.95 Cassette Package (each) plus 1.00 for postage and Package handling. I understand that I may return this package for a complete refund within 30 days if I am not completely satisfied. Hansen House I 352 Total enclosed Complete Record Package I I I I I I $9.95 Complete Cassette Package $11.95 (New Jersey residents add S9b sales tax) I Name I Address. .State. City. O n MRADE . Master Charged Expiration Date. Visad Card Nn Signature i ,1 Zip. i i i i i i i I I s I --J |