RING OUT THE NEWS THESE MUSICIANS PLAY FROM THE HEART.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
The hottest Christmas act in town is booked solid again this year - 21 performances, ranging from public concerts at the Music Center and the Century Plaza Hotel The Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles is a landmark 19-story luxury hotel forming a sweeping crescent design fronting the spectacular fountains on Avenue of the Stars adjacent to the twin Century Plaza Towers. to Elks clubs, senior citizen centers and elementary schools. They're the incredible ARC Bell Ringers from North Hollywood - 25 developmentally disabled adults who will steal your hearts with their musical talent. The Bell Ringers are unforgettable, which is why they're booked solid every holiday season. The bell choir will be performing today at the prestigious Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher before playing in Van Nuys at Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky's annual holiday event. They had to add a second show Wednesday at Sulphur Springs Sulphur Springs, city (1990 pop. 14,062), seat of Hopkins co., NE Tex., in a farm area; inc. 1859. Vegetables, wheat, rice, and corn are grown, and livestock and dairying are important. There is clay and timber in the area. Elementary School in Canyon Country because the Bell Ringers were such a big hit last year. ``They're absolutely amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. , there's no other way to put it,'' said Sandy Bull </gallery> </gallery>Sandy Bull (January 1, 1941 – April 11, 2001) was an American folk musician who was active from the late 1950s until his death. Born in New York City, he was the only child of Harry A. , assistant principal of the school. ``The kids and all the parents love them. They're so inspiring.'' The choir is booked at Harvard Westlake School on Sunday, the Help Youth Foundation on Monday, the Valley Palms senior center in Monrovia on Tuesday, and the Ronald McDonald Christmas Party at Warner Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) . Studios on Wednesday. There's more, but you get the idea. The Bell Ringers are a hot Christmas ticket. ``I even had to turn down my own neighborhood homeowners' association A homeowners' association (abbrev. HOA) is the legal entity created by a real estate developer for the purpose of developing, managing and selling a community of homes. Christmas party this year because we just couldn't fit it in, we were so busy,'' said Dixie Henrikson, the Bell Ringers' musical director. That's Dixie's official title. Her real job is serving as the heart and soul of this choir, along with Mary Schallert, the assistant musical director. How these two women met 33 years ago to turn a group of developmentally disabled kids into the hottest holiday ticket in town is a story almost as amazing as the beautiful Christmas music that comes from their bells. You have to go back to 1969 to a small park in Studio City, where the young mother of a Down syndrome Down syndrome, congenital disorder characterized by mild to severe mental retardation, slow physical development, and characteristic physical features. Down syndrome affects about 1 in every 730 live births and occurs in all populations equally. daughter waited nervously to see if anyone else would show up. Dixie Henrikson's little girl, Deborah, was growing up, and her circle of friends was dwindling dwin·dle v. dwin·dled, dwin·dling, dwin·dles v.intr. To become gradually less until little remains. v.tr. To cause to dwindle. See Synonyms at decrease. - moving on physically and mentally to more challenging, exciting things than playing with their Down syndrome friend. ``They were getting way ahead of Deborah, leaving her behind,'' Dixie said. ``She needed to make new friends or be alone.'' Dixie had called the city Recreation and Parks Department to see if it could start a program to bring together developmentally disabled kids - let them make new friends who would not move beyond each other. Two other young mothers with Down syndrome daughters showed up that first day in the park. A few more came the next week, a few more the week after that. Soon, 35 young mothers were meeting in the park every Saturday, becoming friends themselves as they watched their developmentally disabled sons and daughters play and make new friends who wouldn't move beyond them. That's how Activities for Retarded Children in North Hollywood got its roots - with women like Dixie and her daughter, Deborah, meeting Mary Schallert and her daughter, Susan, in the park. The kids are adults now, and you can find them - still friends - standing on stages all over the city this holiday season, playing beautiful Christmas music with their bells. It took three years of hard work for the Bell Ringers to transform noise into music. Using cloth, Dixie and Mary stitched together a long piece of sheet music, with colors corresponding to the two or three notes on which the kids would ring their bells when Dixie pointed to the square. ``We played one bell at a time for each square at those early Christmas parties we ventured out to in 1987 and '88,'' Dixie said. ``We were apologetically playing, cringing cringe intr.v. cringed, cring·ing, cring·es 1. To shrink back, as in fear; cower. 2. To behave in a servile way; fawn. n. An act or instance of cringing. whenever the wrong bell was rung.'' Now there are eight bells in each square of music on that cloth Dixie points to, and the Bell Ringers aren't apologizing or cringing anymore. They're basking in applause all over town. The hottest Christmas act in L.A. Booked solid. It's pretty neat standing up there on stage after the last song and looking out at people standing and applauding you, many of them with tears in their eyes, said Bell Ringers Chris Taylor Chris Taylor or Christopher Taylor may refer to:
By now, they're used to the early looks of discomfort they see in the audience before the show from people who have never heard them play. ``They think they're going to hear a bunch of retarded people go 'Ding, ding 1. ding - Synonym for feep. Usage: rare among hackers, but commoner in the Real World. 2. ding - "dinged": What happens when someone in authority gives you a minor bitching about something, especially something trivial. "I was dinged for having a messy desk." , ding' with their bells,'' Dixie said. But it only takes one song - ``Silent Night'' or maybe ``Jingle Bells'' - for the looks to change from discomfort and embarrassment to awe. For people to get on the phone and tell their friends in other clubs and organizations about the Bell Ringers, and how they better call Dixie or Mary early for next Christmas because they book up fast. The hot shows always do. The Bell Ringers will be performing at 3:35 p.m. Dec. 24, during Los Angeles County's free Holiday Celebration at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is one of the halls in the Los Angeles Music Center (which is one of the three largest performing arts centers in the United States). The Music Center's other halls include the Mark Taper Forum, Ahmanson Theatre, and Walt Disney Concert Hall. . The choir also will perform at the skating rink of the Century Plaza Hotel in Century City at noon Thursday, Dec. 12. For other public performances, give Mary or Dixie a call at (818) 762-4365. CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) ARC Bell Ringer Philip Raiche waits for his part in the performance at Sulphur Springs Elementary School on Wednesday morning. (2) Members of the ARC Bell Choir teach students at Sulphur Springs how to play the bells. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer |
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