The Studio performing “Centerfield.” Photo courtesy of LongShots Photography.
The Harrisburg area has been good to The Studio, which is about to mark its 20th anniversary.
In return, the Enola-based dance studio will express its gratitude this month by paying tribute to some of the things that make our area great.
On Saturday, Feb. 10, The Studio will perform a show called “Hometown Heart” at the Scottish Rite Cathedral auditorium in Harrisburg, celebrating in music and dance contributions of an eclectic group of midstate institutions, including the Harrisburg Senators, Susquehanna Art Museum, Arts on the Square, Reservoir Park, the historic Harrisburg Transportation Center and Kristy’s Whistle Stop ice cream shop in Enola.
The performance will open with a professionally staged ballet, “The Christening,” from “The Sleeping Beauty.” Seventy dancers will participate in the performance, said Jennifer Turner Long, The Studio’s owner and artistic director.
Following the ballet, the school’s musical theater students will lead the audience through the journey of the community organizations being highlighted.
“It’s just like, ‘Hey y’all, in spite of the news of the day, right here is the joy and goodness of where we live, the wonderful things about where we live,’” said Long, a Virginia native who came to the midstate from Colorado.
Without giving too much away, here are a few tastes of what to expect from the Feb. 10 show.
The performance highlighting Susquehanna Art Museum focuses on “Cocoon,” a museum exhibition by Kate Browne featuring the history of Steelton. Images from the exhibition will be projected while the dancers perform.
For Arts on the Square, dancers will perform a piece called “Masquerade.” Last October, the Studio collaborated with Arts on the Square with a performance at Market Square Presbyterian Church in Harrisburg.
For “Centerfield,” the piece dedicated to the Harrisburg Senators, The Studio went to FNB Field on City Island last summer to film a portion of the choreography on site.
This will be the second time The Studio has performed “Centerfield” in public. The first was at the 2023 Pennsboro Pumpkin Festival in October—in the pouring rain.
“Centerfield” is inspired by the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL), created in 1943 by Philip Wrigley, then-owner of the Chicago Cubs.
Wrigley sought to fill the void in professional baseball created after many male players in the major leagues left to fight in World War II. The AAGPBL lasted until 1954 and is considered the forerunner of women’s professional league sports in the United States.
Last summer, Long and her daughter watched “A League of Their Own,” the movie starring Tom Hanks and Geena Davis, based on the AAGPBL. The Studio dancers will wear AAGPBL uniforms while performing “Centerfield.”
Long also learned of two women from the midstate who played in the league.
Helen Waddell Wyatt grew up in Lemoyne. At age 18, she tried out for a women’s softball team in Harrisburg and attracted the attention of a Wrigley scout. She then played for the Rockford Peaches in 1950 and 1951 before retiring to marry and start a family.
Betty Warfel was born in Enola and played for the Rockford Peaches in 1948 and 1949. She was a highly versatile player who pitched and played several infield positions.
Afterwards, Warfel returned to Pennsylvania, retiring from the Westinghouse Corp. in Philadelphia. She died in 1990 and is buried in Rolling Green Memorial Park in Lower Allen Township.
Long is using social media to try to locate family members of both Waddell Wyatt and Warfel, to invite them to the Feb. 10 performance.
“They were pioneers at a time when women weren’t leaders in all aspects of the word,” Long said. “It was much harder. (They) are just a great role model.”
The 20th anniversary celebration also includes an appearance by internationally known tap dancer Maud Arnold at The Studio on Feb. 11 to kick off “Love Your Body” week. Arnold is giving a tap dance class and will lead a question and answer session.
Long left a career in the corporate world to launch The Studio.
“I wanted to create this business so I could manage my own life and schedule professionally on my terms while I was integrally involved in raising our daughter,” she said.
Looking back at what has been achieved since 2004 is “quite humbling and hard to believe. The whole thing has been sort of surreal,” Long said.
“We certainly have a bright future,” she said. “We are looking forward to it, but we are most grateful for the path that we have had. It’s been joyous.”
“Hometown Heart—Exploring Harrisburg through Art” takes place Feb. 10 at the Scottish Rite Cathedral auditorium, 2701 N. 3rd St., Harrisburg. The Studio is located at 427 N. Enola Rd., Enola (Summerdale Plaza). For more information, visit www.summerdaledance.com.
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