43
Dance of a lifetime
Photo
From front to back, Amanda Joerndt of Boardman, Sarah Bobby of Salem, Amanda Walsh of Youngstown, Shannon Joy of Columbiana and Lexi Marco of Boardman stretch on a barre before practice at Ruth’s Robics and Dance Company. The dancers will perform with the musical act Train at the college football Orange Bowl in Florida next Wednesday.
Photo
McCallen Warrick of Boardman practices her dance moves in preparation for her class’s performance at the Orange Bowl. After weeks of practice, the girls will leave for Florida on New Year’s Day.
By Elise Franco
Boardman
Spending their Christmas vacation in the dance studio will pay off for 10 local teens who are performing live with musical act Train during halftime of the Orange Bowl.
Ruth Smrek Balestra, director of Ruth’s Robics and Dance in Boardman, said her studio was chosen to send a handful of dancers to perform next Wednesday at the Orange Bowl in Miami.
The 10 girls — McCallen Warrick, 12, of Boardman; Amanda Joerndt, 14, of Boardman; Lexi Marco, 14, of Boardman; Tiffany Gillen, 14, of Struthers; Shannon Joy, 14, of Columbiana; Sarah Gleydura, 16, of Poland; Sarah Bobby, 16, of Salem; Amanda Walsh, 16, of Youngstown; Kiara Jones, 16, of Youngstown; and Kristen Weiss, 17, of Austintown — are performing with three-time Grammy Award winners Train.
“They select certain studios from around the country based on your track record,” she said. “They contacted me and asked me to select the dancers who best represent this evening.”
The girls leave for Florida on New Year’s Day, where they will arrive and immediately begin rehearsals, Balestra said.
She said the girls, along with 400 other dancers, will spend Sunday rehearsing the routine together for the first time.
Monday is an all-day dance convention meant to expose them to as many forms of dance as possible, she said.
After the convention, they go back into heavy rehearsals before the live performance next Wednesday.
The game between Clemson and West Virginia starts at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN3.
“My girls are really excited because they’ll be performing live with 400 other girls in front of 80,000 people,” Balestra said. “Every time they come in, they’re counting down to when we leave.”
Tiffany said she is ready for her 10 years of dancing experience to pay off.
“This is an opportunity of a lifetime, and I couldn’t pass it up,” she said. “I’m really looking forward to meeting all the other girls.”
Amanda Walsh said standing out to just one professional choreographer could change any of their lives in an instant.
“It’s in Miami, on TV, and we’re dancing in front of 80,000 people and who knows how many more watching at home,” she said. “If one choreographer sees you and thinks, ‘She could go places,’ that could open so many doors.”
Balestra said aside from the exposure, the trip will educate the girls on different forms of dance.
“They are there to get an education and become more well-rounded and diverse dancers. They need to learn it all,” she said. “They’re really hungry to learn as much as they can about dance.”
Balestra said this group is no stranger to important performances, however.
In 2007, many of the girls danced with the Moscow Ballet, and in 2008 they went to Orlando and danced in Disney’s Magic Music Days.
“Last year they were picked by a New York City talent scout to participate in a workshop taught by Broadway actors, singers and dancers,” she said.
Balestra said all of these accomplishments are confidence boosters, which are important to young dancers.
“You’ve got to feel value in what you do,” she said. “You never know who’s in your group or in the audience and might see you.”