AREA DANCERS COMPETE IN NATIONAL CONTEST

Dancers with the Ballet Royale Midwest in Cape Girardeau will be competing at a national dance contest next week for a shot on television.

The national competition, called Show Stoppers and sponsored by the American Ballet Theater, will be held July 5-12 at Myrtle Beach, N.C.

The top five junior and the top five senior acts in that contest will compete on a program to be televised on ESPN and WGN for the top spots in the contest.

Gaymarie Tomlinson, director of the ballet company and of Royale Ballet Dance Studio, said, "When we go to national competition, dancers are there from everywhere. We will come across some real stiff competition."

Nine-year veteran of the dance company, Leigh Lindley, who is also an instructor at the studio, said, "There is a lot of hard work and desire that brings us to this point. I've been to a lot of nationals including New York and Las Vegas. This is our best year ever for national competition. We are the right age and I think it's the right time for us. I think we have a real good chance of winning a spot on the television program."

In order to participate at the national level, the performers competed at a regional level in Memphis, Tenn. last month.

"We won firsts with all our members. Everybody won their categories," Tomlinson said.

Two senior performances, a lyrical ballet and a jazz number placed first in overall competition. Another performance won fifth overall

In the junior division, performers from the Ballet Royale Midwest earned a fourth and a fifth overall.

Senior soloists from the studio also captured third, fourth and fifth overall in the regional competition.

Top dancers from different age categories in the divisions compete against each other for overall honors. The first place overall winners won cash prizes.

Now they are preparing for the national contest.

Dancer Jennifer Jones said, "We have put a lot of hours into rehearsal. This will give us a chance to see what the other dance studios do and see how we rank among some of the best."

Laine Lindley said, "I'm sure we will have tough competition. But we have practiced and we have experience.

Christy Wong said she has been dancing nine years. "I can't stop now. It really helps bring out your self confidence and help us not to be intimidated by competition."

"Confidence is what the real world is about," Tomlinson said. "They need confidence when they go for a job or to college. When they dance, their self confidence is up and their self esteem is up."

Allison Brune said, "This is my ninth year dancing with Gaymarie. We are like a big family."

All of the dancers will be accompanied to Myrtle Beach by a parent.

Parent Janie Kladiva said, "That is sort of our reward. We are ones that get them here for rehearsals. I don't want to miss it."

Parents have also been making costumes and doing other odd jobs to help the girls prepare for the contest.

The Ballet Royale Midwest is the performing company for the studio. This fall, the studio is adding a "mini company" for five, six and seven year olds to its performing groups.

"We've been doing community performances for nine years," Tomlinson said. "We also have been traveling to conventions and allowing the dancers to compete and to be seen by other instructors and judges across the nation," Tomlinson said. At one convention, students had a chance to take a class with one of the "Fly Girls" from the television show "In Living Color."

Tomlinson said the dancers learn and perform ballet, tap and jazz.

"My goal has been to teach them so they would be able to perform `Swan Lake' if they want, but if they wanted to go on to do something different, they would be prepared."