'Ambassadors' sing, dance

By Jim Carnes - jcarnes@sacbee.com

Published 12:00 am PST Sunday, December 2, 2007
Story appeared in TICKET section, Page unknown27

It's hard to resist the smiling, clean-scrubbed faces and the contagious enthusiasm of the young hoofers, hooters and, well, all-round entertainers who are Galena Street East.

Even Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has fallen under their spell.

Galena Street East was founded in Sacramento by Richard and Jeri Clinger in 1972 to provide training and performance opportunities to developing young artists in the community. Galena Street also provides music scholarships for some members, and each year, the group's touring company represents Sacramento on a people-to-people goodwill performing tour.

These musical "ambassadors," as they are called, will mark their 36th year with performances this week at the governor's tree-lighting ceremony Tuesday at the Capitol and with "Light the December Nights," the latest of the group's Holiday Tapestry shows, Friday and Saturday at the Hiram Johnson High School Theater.

Come summer, Galena Street East's group of older performers will tour China as participants in a pre-Olympics music festival, American Celebration of Music 2008. They will perform in Beijing, Tianjin and Qinhuangdao, official venue sites of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics – as well as at the Great Wall.

Notifying the group of its acceptance as California representatives in the tour, Music Celebrations International president John P. Wiscombe cited the group's "excellent recommendations" and "past achievements" in performance and promised the group a "rewarding and memorable experience both educationally and musically."

Gov. Schwarzenegger also congratulated the group, saying, "I am especially proud that one of my favorite performing groups will be delighting international audiences."

The governor, who said in a letter to the organization that he enjoyed the group's performance at the 2006 Christmas tree lighting, invited it to return this year – and to perform for him at an event in Los Angeles in March.

Galena Street East includes more than 100 young performers from throughout the area. Choreographer Ron Cisneros directs the annual Holiday Tapestry and River City Revue shows that celebrate the diversity of talents among group members.

Under the Galena Street East umbrella are such groups as Galena, which includes boys and girls in 10th through 12th grade; East Street Gang, male singers and dancers between the ages of 13 and 17; Allegro, a group of female singers and dancers between 13 and 17; the Fireside Choir, a mixed choral group between the ages of 14 and 20; the East Street Cloggers; and the International Children's Chorus, an entry-level group of young performers who wear authentic cultural costumes representing countries from all over the world and who sing and dance about world peace and brotherhood.

Co-founder and artistic director Jeri Clinger said "Light the December Nights" will include new musical segments from Mexico, China and Israel, "as well as some of our traditional favorites, including clogging and Irish step dancing."

The show, she said, "will celebrate the traditions of our international neighbors through music and dance" and will end "with a dazzling extravaganza of ... symbols and traditions of our (American) celebration of Christmas."