30
October 5 – 18, 2013
Youth
www.SanTanSun.com
STATE FAIR FROM PAGE 28
graders and Xplosion for those 12 years and older. There are also the Knockouts, which consists of the older group of dancers. “I started the Dynamite Express in 1988,” Gooch says. “We have been at the State Fair every year for that long.” All of the dancers audition to become a member of the group during a workshop at the end of their year. “Every year the team changes,” she explains. “About half to two thirds stay on the team. They stay on the team for maybe three or four years before becoming advanced dancers. They become a part of our dance company and those are the most advanced dancers we have.” Meghan McCoy is the Neighbors and Business section editor for the SanTan Sun News. She can be reached at meghan@santansun.com.
YOUTH CHRONICLES Alexys Lawrence of Chandler is admitted to Columbus State University in Columbus, GA, for the fall 2013 semester. Alexys, a member of the class of 2017, will study prenursing. Tara Larsen of Chandler is a freshman at Concordia University in Seward, NE. Nathan Walker of Chandler is enrolled at Marietta College in Marietta, OH, for the fall 2013 semester. Nathan is majoring in petroleum engineering.
JAZZ BAND: Members of the Andersen Junior High School jazz band practice before they play at the Arizona State Fair later this month from 1 to 2 p.m. Thu., Oct. 24. Submitted photo
The show choir will feature numbers from the Broadway production “Rent” and songs by Coldplay. The men’s choir will sing “21 Guns” by Green Day, and the women’s choir will perform music from “Peter Pan.”
Dynamite Express The final act features Dance Connection 2’s Dynamite Express, DC tutu and Hip Hop Dancing Crew teams
from 6 to 7 p.m. Sat., Nov. 2. The onehour performance will include 18 to 20 numbers, as well as some solo routines. Studio owner Maryanna Gooch says the jazz dance team has more than 100 members ranging from 5 to 17 years old. The team is divided into smaller groups—Snapcaps for kindergarten-age dancers; Sparklers for first and second graders; Firecrackers for third and fourth graders; Hotshots for fifth and sixth
DANCE: The Dynamite Express Dance Team, which is comprised of more than 100 dancers, will perform for an hour at the Arizona State Fair from 6 to 7 p.m. Sat., Nov. 2. Submitted photo