The Roanoker Sept/October 2023 - 43

Arts & Culture
B
eth Deel and Wendy Schuyler have taken that old bromide
suggesting that the family that plays together stays
together to yet another level, both literally and figuratively.
The stilts help a lot.
You've likely seen them in one iteration or another:
two glamorous women, towering above you, wearing
exotic, Vegas-worthy costumes; several children and a tall man
wandering the parade route on stilts and in their own attractive
costumes; all of them together-nine on occasion. Mostly,
though, you know the moms because they've been engaged in
public entertainment for years, dating to their dance days.
Deel and Schuyler, both Roanoke Valley natives, have been
playing together for years and have been besties for most of
that time. They are both college-trained dancers, teachers and
business partners. They once owned a publication together (Deel
has a degree from the Kansas City Art Institute), so they are
well-schooled in publicity. Deel teaches art at Fallon Park School
and Schuyler works with three-year-olds in preschool classes.
Their own children (Siena, 11, and Ruby, 7, are Wendy's, and
Beth's are Buck, 10, and John Henry Johnson, 11) are occasionally
joined by family friend Aaron Garland and his two kids,
Viana, 10 and Joana, 7.
Deel's partner, John Johnson, a builder, designed and made the
family's first stilts and continues to do so. The building process is
a challenge, he says, because finding strong wood with straight
grain is difficult.
The costuming came along a bit later as a promotion for the
women's publication, My Scoper, which highlighted Roanoke
area events. " We wanted to be Amelia Earhart, " laughs Deel. " It
was an aviator costume with big balloons. " All on stilts.
They discovered quickly, says Deel, that " anyone can walk
[on stilts]. They just need confidence. But then walking you can
do, but performing is a different level. " Siena stresses that for
her, learning wasn't all that easy: " I learned on Mom's stilts, and
they are heavy. "
And how do they get up and down? " It's magic, " says Schuyler
with a straight face. But little Siena corrects her: " We just find
a high place to get up and down. " Simple stuff. Nothing simple
about the costumes, though. They have closets full of them, many
hand-made.
And all the showmanship can be relatively lucrative for a
part-time gig. The women charge $150 an hour each, minimum
two hours to appear in parades, festivals and anything else you
can imagine. They share the take with the kids when the little
ones perform.
Deel says the performances are a natural progression for all
of those involved because, " We love where we live and we want
to be part of things. We've spent time with dance productions,
but this is more interactive. It seems to inspire wonder and awe,
and it is always positive. " She says there is " no end game " but
" we would love to be in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. "
Through it all, says Deel, " We love to play dress-up. "
Schuyler's daughters are successful competition dancers,
replete with their own costumes.
Says Beth Deel, " There's nothing better than a Roanoke party "
and all those tall people it attracts. I
TheRoanoker.com
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023 43
COURTESY OF MISS KITTY
http://www.TheRoanoker.com
The Roanoker Sept/October 2023

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