Dance school focuses on teen troupe

     By Leanne Mieszala
     View staff writer
      Area teen-agers are being given the opportunity to spend more time learning the beat instead of the streets.
      With the idea of keeping today's teens off the streets and instead doing something more constructive and positive with their time, Stacey Petteruti has created the ultimate dance troupe.
      This group, made up of teens, will perform hip hop, break dancing and funk style choreography, styles of dance that are very popular with kids today and can be seen quite frequently on music television.
      "They all love to dance. I go to the high schools, and I see them dancing in the parking lots," Petteruti said. "They get so much out of it, and they want to perform so badly that we decided to create this dance troupe."
      Petteruti, along with her partner Renee Tolliver, opened the Lakes School of Dance located at 2912 Lake East Drive and for the past five years it has been their passion to develop this type of dance troupe at the studio.
      "With both parents working these days and so many kids having to be at home alone, the dance studio provides a good place for them to spend their time creatively while at the same time doing something they absolutely love doing," Petteruti said.
      "We've taken the lint out of our pockets, so to speak, to make it happen," Petteruti said. "Starting with the first day we opened, I've always had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to work with teens. I've had and always will have a connection with this group of young adults, and I find it really exciting to work with them."
      Petteruti's love for the performing arts comes from her extensive background in this form of entertainment.
      "I can remember back to being 4, 5 and 6 years of age, making up dances and forcing my mom, or whoever would come, to watch me perform this little dance that I had just made up," Petteruti said.
      As she grew older, Petteruti pursued dance in high school and was a dance major at UNLV.
      During her second year of college, she landed her first production show with Siegfried and Roy. Instead of continuing her major, Petteruti chose to travel around the world performing in eight different production shows.
      A couple of years ago, she decided to stop dancing on the Strip and dedicated herself completely to teaching dance and choreography.
      There's no limit to the amount of kids that can be on the team at one time, and Petteruti's plans for these teen-aged performers are endless.
      "We would like to enter the group in major dance competitions, both locally and regionally," said Petteruti, adding this would be a good experience for the kids.
      Some of her other aspirations for the group is to have them perform at area trade shows and conventions and she has even contacted local schools about having the troupe perform for students at the junior high and high school levels.
      While on tour at the schools, the teens will focus on spreading a positive and motivational experience for their peers through their dance exhibitions.
      Petteruti's eyes lit up as she talked about future plans to implement a children's matinee production show on the Strip, something she says has never been done before.
      "I think it would be incredible," she said. "There's never been a production show on the Strip where the entire cast is made up of kids. Maybe this dance troupe will allow me to be one step closer to that goal."
      Sting Rey, one of the dance troupe's instructors, travels all over the world as a dancer and has his own dance group in Europe called The Untouchables.
      "I enjoy seeing and teaching another generation the style of dance which we refer to as hip hop," he said. "I'm 32 years old and cannot help but wonder what kind of dance style the next generation of kids will be involved in."
      The Lakes School of Dance has been offering prep classes for those teens who are interested in learning more about the dance troupe and its style of dance.
      The last prep class will be held Thursday in preparation for the group's audition set for Jan. 14.
      "We are basically looking for kids who may not necessarily have had any formal dance training but have danced before and have a passion for it," Petteruti said. "These auditions will open doors for a lot of kids to get on stage and perform."
      In addition to soliciting for troupe members, Petteruti said her ultimate goal is to be able to obtain corporate sponsorships for the group or private donations by sponsoring a child into the group.
      "There are a lot of talented kids out there who come to the studio to watch and want to dance but come from a household that may not be able to afford to get them into dancing," Petteruti said. "These kids are so talented and want to perform so badly, and I would hate to see them not being given the opportunity to do so."
      Those interested in the dance troupe or sponsorship can call 255-6110.