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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 22, 1981)
Up With People is up on people International goodwill, singing and to perform Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. dancing are all part of "Up With People," at the A&M Consolidated High School. By Colette Hutchings Battalion Staff From the Superbowl to Jamaica, a group of students have been singing and dancing their way around the world promoting one theme—people. "Up With People" will sing and dance in a two-hour show at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, in the A&M Consolidated High School auditorium. Locally sponsored by College Station Community Education and the Bryan-College Station Eagle, "Up With People" will fe ature a 60's segment and an medley of international songs and dances the cast has learned in different countries. "Up with People" is a group of international students, in cluding many from the United States, who travel to different countries and live for a year with host families. Interviews for next year's cast will be held in A&M Consoli dated auditorium immediately following the Oct. 24 show. Sherred Hartness, promo tional representative for "Peo ple," said the purpose of the group is "to build bridges of understanding between people and cultures." The members in volve themselves with the com munity through high schools, colleges and nursing homes. Hartness, orginally from South Carolina, was a cast mem ber in "Up with People" and now does public relations for the group. She said although cast mem bers learn about countries' cul tures and languages, much more is learned through person al experience. "In eleven months on the road, there's a lot of individual growth," she said. "People" is composed of five casts with 120 members in each. Each cast has a schedule of shows in different countries. Hartness said an invitation from the Russian government for a possible tour has members excited. Receiving special invitations to countries is nothing new, though, "People" was the first student group to tour the Peo ples' Republic of China in 1978. Hartness said members have visited 42 countries, including Argentina, Canada, Panama, Europe and Mexico. "They love us there (Mexico), they never want to let us go," Hartness said. Cast members have appeared in half-time at the Superbowl twice and are preparing to do so again in January 1982. Of more than 7,000 students applying for "Up with People," 500 are chosen. Because of the rigorous schedule involved, Hartness said, canidates are screened thoroughly. Prospective members must be high school graduates and can be no older than 26, Hartness said. New groups spend six weeks in Tucson, Ariz., learning dance routines and preparing for the rigorous schedules ahead. Hartness said groups are al ways touring. Four casts start up every summer and end the fol lowing June, while others start in January and end the follow ing December. Cast members are responsible for paying 1/3 of their tuition, which is about $5,000. Most of the students who participate in "People" receive scholarships. Cast members are able to re ceive college credit in theater arts, physical education and writing by participating in "People." Money for the trips is also donated by contributions from corporations. "People" sells albums and T-shirts, which account for 40 percent of the cost of a students' trip, Hartness said. Franci VonBueren, 19, a cast member from Switzerland, is visiting College Station for the production. VonBueren finished school and received an secretarial apprenticeship in April. She said an "Up with People" cast comes to Switzerland every year; she applied and was accepted. Chuck Renfroe, 18, is another cast member who's visiting Col lege Station. Renfroe hails from Tennessee. He completed one year as a marketing major at East Tennes see State University and joined "Up with People" because he wanted to change schools and enjoyed traveling. "Up with People came around at an appropriate time for me," he said. Renfroe, VonBueren and Hartness are in College Station preparing for the arrival of the rest of the cast. Besides participating in shows, they help find host fami lies for the cast and make plans for meals and schedules. VonBueren and Renfroe said their cast (cast "B") started in July and has toured Arizona (the headquarters for "People"), New Mexico, Louisiana and Texas. After a Christmas break, the group will go to Columbia, Venezuela Jamaica and Ber muda. Renfroe said he has already learned from his travels. "What's really helped me is the P.R. (public relations) ex perience and working with the various businesses and Cham ber of Commerces in the diffe rent cities," Renfroe said. VonBueren said she plans to continue schooling and major in languages, so the exposure to different languages has helped her. Tickets for the "Up with Peo ple" performance are $4.50 for students and senior citizens and $5.50 for adults and may be pur chased at the Eagle, Keyboard Center in Manor East Mall, Hastings Records and Books in Culpepper Plaza, the book store in the A&M Consolidated High School and the Independent School District Community Education office. Mangione’s flugelhorn to jazz up A&M Oct. 25 Jazz comes to Texas A&M University Sunday with the sound of Chuck Mangione, his flugelhorn and his quartet. The Chuck Mangione Quar tet is comprised of flute and sax ophone player Chris Vadala, drummer Steve Gadd, guitarist Grant Geissman and bassist Dave Piltch. Half of the albums Mangione have been recorded live at con certs, including his latest album "Tarantella." "Tarantella" was recorded at Rochester, N.Y. The concert, held to benefit the Italian earth quake victims, included jazz stars Dizzy Gillespie, Chick Corea and others. Mangione has said concerts offer spontaneity and relation with an audience that the studio doesn't give. Commissioned by ABC to supply the music, Mangione is probably best known for his flugelhorn mastery in the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics theme song. He has said the Olympics were the biggest mass media event he had ever done. Mangione, winner of two Grammy awards and an Emmy award, is a composer and pro ducer as well as a performer. Some of the songs Mangione is known for are "Cannonball Run Theme," "Can't We Do This All Night," "Bella Via," "Give It All You've Got," "Hill Where The Lord Hides," "Fun And Games," "Feels So Good," and "Tarantella." The concert is sold out, but a waiting list is being kept at the MSC Box Office in Rudder Tow er in case tickets become avail able. Mangione's concert is sche duled to begin at 8 p.m. in Rud der Auditorium. FOCUS Editor Cathy Saathoff Assistant Editor .... Debbie Nelson Staff Writer Colette Hutchings Cartoonist Scott McCullar Graphic Artist.. Richard DeLeon, Jr. Focus will accept any items submitted for publication, although the decision to publish lies solely with the editor. Deadline is 5 p.m. the Thursday before publication. Picking the old soft shoe By Johna Jo Maurer Crackers over animal shirts By Debbie Nelson That suits me By Colette Hutchings 3 4 5 On the cover: Dinah the In dian python caresses her master, John Ward, at the Texas Renaissance Festival in Magnolia. Part of the annual reenactment of the European Renaissance, Di nah represents the reptiles which were used by court entertainers. See related pictures and story on