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Group Is Named For What It Seeks

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BY SARAH ROTHWELL, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 19, 2008

Updated: 01/17/2008 06:11 pm

LUTZ - The three women's voices carry. Rehearsing a song from "Little Shop of Horrors," they perform choreographed moves and flash pearly-white smiles. When the music stops, they each take a deep breath, grab a bottle of water and sit down to chat.

Elizabeth Bergeron, Cristalyn Stokes and Ashley Niven love to sing. Still, they don't dream of fame or fortune. After more than 15 years in the music business, the women are happy performing in their home state, Florida. Together, they make up the singing group Encore. They perform at public and private functions throughout the state.

Bergeron, 30, resides in Lutz, where the group practices. Stokes, 21, lives in New Tampa, and Niven, 22, lives in Wesley Chapel.

"We don't want record deals," Bergeron said. "We want to be able to perform and then, at the end of the day, come home to our own beds."

Q: When did you start singing?

A: BERGERON: I've been singing since I was little. My cousin Skeeter Davis was a country music artist, and I used to go to the Grand Ole Opry and listen to her sing. That's when I caught the bug.

STOKES: I started dancing and singing when I was 2 or 3. It's been crazy since then.

NIVEN: I started singing at church and at school. When I was 10, I was in a community theater production of "Annie." That's when I met Cristalyn.

Q: How did you all meet?

A: BERGERON: We were all part of the Tampa-based singing group Entertainment Revue. I was in it before them, and when they were in it, I was the director. We were friends despite the age difference. After that, we went our separate ways. I wanted to start a family. Then, I went to Nashville. Ashley was signed to a record deal.

NIVEN: I was in the group PYT. We toured with 'N Sync and Britney Spears. I was 13. It was amazing to do so many things. We toured for three years.

Q: Why did you leave the business?

A: NIVEN: I'm a homebody. I didn't want to be a pop star.

BERGERON: Ashley and I both had similar experiences with the business. When I was in Nashville, I got the chance to sing at the Grand Ole Opry. I got a standing ovation and went back several times. The experiences were great, but when I had the opportunity for a record deal, I couldn't sign my life away. It never felt right. I came back to Tampa.

Q: How did you three meet up again?

A: STOKES: I wanted to start a thing similar to Entertainment Revue, and I ran into Elizabeth, who had a similar idea. That's how it all started.

BERGERON: Cristalyn and I started our own business, Applause Performance Co. We started by putting together a summer camp, and we took the best children from that to start our children's group. Then, Encore happened. It was kind of a fluke. We thought we'd perform every once in a while but mainly focus on the children's group. Then, we recruited Ashley and started doing shows. It really caught on.

Q: Describe an Encore show.

A: BERGERON: What started as a 30-minute show with one costume change is now an hour-and-a-half beast with 200 costume changes and props.

STOKES: We sing a Broadway medley, a patriotic medley and a swing medley.

NIVEN: It's an awesome show.

Q: Can anyone book your show?

A: BERGERON: Definitely. But we're not a background band. We're entertainment that you sit and watch.

Q: Do you spend time together outside of the business?

A: STOKES: Elizabeth and I don't go a day without seeing one another, whether it's work-related or not.

BERGERON: Yeah. Ashley, though, I don't know.

NIVEN: I work a lot. So, when I see them, it's mostly to do with Encore. But I love them.

Q: Do you all have other jobs?

A: STOKES: I teach dance at my grandma's studio, Judy Bernard Dancers Inc.

BERGERON: I have four children.

NIVEN: My mom owns Hogan's restaurant on Dale Mabry. So, I work there and help her out.

Q: Do you ever have free time?

A: BERGERON: (laughs) No.

STOKES: When I'm not rehearsing or working, I'm at church or at school. I'm in the praise band at First Baptist Church of Temple Terrace, and I'm graduating from USF this year with a degree in communications. What's free time?

NIVEN: Sometimes I get Wednesdays.

Q: When you think about the future, what do you imagine?

A: STOKES: I want to be a wife and mom. I want to keep performing. I'd love for us to have our own theater.

BERGERON: Yeah, it would be nice for people to come to us rather than us traveling.

NIVEN: I want to keep performing.

Q. Will you sing and dance until your golden years?

A: STOKES: I definitely want to do this until I'm old.

BERGERON: Well, maybe not exactly this. We'll have to change the show to fit our age. I can't see us being 80 and running around this much.

MAKING CONTACT

For information on Applause Performance Co. or to book Encore, call (813) 830-2112 or visit www.applauseperform ancecompany.com.

Sarah Rothwell can be reached at srothwell@tampatrib.com or (813) 865-4845.

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