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VOL. 5, NO. 49
DECEMBER 5, 2011
INSIDE
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Hard-working dancers headed to Big Apple By Wendy Smith
Holiday spirit Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church decorates See page A-8
Fun with science Sequoyah Elementary hosts science exhibit See story on page A-11 FEATURED COLUMNIST DR. BOB COLLIER
Winter Grub Dr. Bob looks into what those pesky birds eat in winter See page A-6
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They dance five nights a week, and their weekends are peppered with performances, but members of the Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble (TCDE) will keep up the hard work through the holidays for the opportunity to strut their stuff in New York City in January. They’re used to going the extra mile, and not just for themselves. The ensemble has donated its time and talent through benefit performances for the Knoxville Botanical Gardens and the Family Justice Center this year. They also participated in the Arts and Culture Alliance of Greater Knoxville’s “Penny 4 the Arts” program, and they provide free dance instruction to children referred by the Knox County Public Defender’s office. Even the expedition to New York is a working trip, with little time for tourist attractions. The company is participating in the Association of Performing Arts Presenters Conference on Jan. 6-10, which showcases the talents of performers of all kinds from across the country. But few will be as young as the TCDE members. “As far as we know, we will be the only professional modern dance company made up of kids,” says Irena Linn, TCDE’s artistic director. The company has rented studio space at the Alvin Ailey Studios, where the dancers will perform 10 times for agents and other arts professionals attending the conference. The goal is to secure paid performances, which have become few and far between, says Linn.
The dancers are practicing a dance by Chicago choreographer Randy Duncan, who will come to Knoxville a few days before the conference to work with the company, then travel with them to New York. Nineteen of the 21 company members will make the trip. The company is housed in the Dancer’s Studio, which was founded in 1955 by Dorothy Floyd. Linn moved to Knoxville in 1966 to work with Floyd, her mentor, whom she met while she was a student at the Mary Wigman School
in Berlin, Germany. Floyd was exceptionally good at communicating with her students and was a constant source of inspiration to the young dancers. “People danced who couldn’t walk,” recalls Linn. When Linn, a self-described “theater rat,” arrived on the scene, she was put in charge of performances. The TCDE was formed to give the dancers, and the art of modern dance, more visibility. The combined leadership of Floyd and Linn resulted in a company known for clean, polished performances and
ground-breaking choreog- dren to become successful raphy. Floyd died in 2002, adults using dance as a veand TCDE alum Amy Wil- hicle,” says Linn. son is now Linn’s associate artistic director. The Tennessee ChilIn addition to the dedicadren’s Dance Ensemble tion of the dancers, mentorwill host a silent auction and performance 6 ing adds to the success of p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, the company. Each member at Episcopal Church attends dance classes with of the Ascension, 800 younger students, and those Northshore Drive. Tickwho are junior and seniors in ets, which are $15 and high school teach their own include a drink and hors classes. The mentoring cond’oeuvres, may be purtinues after class when comchased at the Dancer’s pany members stick around Studio, 4216 Sutherland to clean up the studio. Ave. Info: 584-9636. “It’s not just about dance. It’s also about teaching chil-
Locals brace for Lakeshore changes By Sandra Clark How best to treat the mentally ill? And who pays? The state will stop admissions to Lakeshore Mental Health Institute on Jan. 1 with an eye toward closing the 150-year-old facility on Northshore Drive. Then called Eastern State Psychiatric Hospital, the campus held 3,000 beds in 1975. With the advent of psychotropic drugs, the state has worked to deinstitutionalize the mentally ill. Today, Lakeshore has 115 beds and even fewer residents. State officials say it costs $900 per patient per day for acute care at Lakeshore. The state wants to shift that money to community-based mental health services and transfer the long-term residents to facilities in Nashville or Chattanooga.
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Maricela Magana and Karlie Budge perform “Focus/Fusion” at the Tennessee Children’s Dance Ensemble’s 30th anniversary concert held earlier this year. The dance company, which is housed at the Dancer’s Studio, will travel to New York in January to participate in the Association of Performing Arts Presenters Conference. Photo submitted
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Knox County Sheriff Jimmy “J.J.” Jones says if Lakeshore stops admissions, deputies will take patients to Peninsula, Ridgeview in Oak Ridge or Woodbridge in the Tri-County area. “It is our hope that some of the monies from the savings of closing Lakeshore would go toward the Safety Center and that would complete the crisis service continuum run by the McNabb Center,” Jones said. He and Attorney General Randy Nichols have advocated construction of a crisis center to be operated by McNabb for short-term care of persons picked up for public drunkenness or nuisance offenses. Jones says as many as one-quarter of those incarcerated at the Knox County Detention Center are suffering from
mental illness. Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett said one in three Tennesseans is affected by mental illness, either personally or via family or a friend. He says Gov. Bill Haslam wants to do the right thing, and the current crisis is about dollars. “I worry about the state employees and their families, and most of all I worry about the patients and their families,” Burchett said. “Knox County will pick up the pieces. We’ll deal with it in a compassionate manner.” On Wednesday, County Commissioner Jeff Ownby convened a meeting at West High School. The 350 Lakeshore employees are worried about losing their jobs. They also are concerned about their patients. A Farragut resident said
County Commissioner Jeff Ownby and Lisa Moffett, field rep for the Tennessee State Employees Association, facilitate a public forum to discuss Lakeshore last week at West High School. Photo by S. Clark
our current mental health system is nothing more than “begging around,” trying to get help for your family member. Her son has been in the county’s Detention Center since 2010. His crime was “being born with mental illness. The mentally ill are not cute, they’re not cuddly, but they are God’s children.” She said Lakeshore should
be expanded, not closed, to take pressure off the jail. Ownby will ask County Commission to adopt a resolution requesting a two-year delay for changes at Lakeshore, but even a unanimous local vote can’t dictate state policy. Ownby said concerned residents can contact the governor’s office at 615-741-2001.
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