Burnsville PAC to host youth dance shows

Out of nowhere, the screaming begins. Young girls wearing fuzzy ears and tails, sequined halter tops and sparkly make-up press against the Burnsville Performing Arts Center (BPAC) stage and throw up their arms. Did Justin Bieber just enter the building?

Actually, it's workers flinging Mardi Gras necklaces. The squealing intensifies as the "Foxy Little Ladies" clamor to catch them.

This is Masquerade, one of a number of dance competitions the center hosts during competition season, which runs February to June. On a Saturday morning, dancers stretch backstage and line up in the atrium to practice kicks and spins.

But the main focus is the stage. A little girl with glittery bows and hair-sprayed curls shakes her hand at the crowd to "That's Not My Name" by the Ting Tings. Then helpers quickly whisk away her props, and a bouncy remix of "It's a Small World" starts up.

"God, even glitzy shoes!" exclaimed Mary De Biaso of Burnsville, who wore strands of Mardi Gras beads and sat in the front row during last weekend's show. "Lots of fun costumes. I love all of the makeup and eyelashes, and I think they do, too."

Such competitions have become a regular sight at the arts center, helping to fill the main stage, bring in revenue and draw hundreds of families to Burnsville's Heart of the City.

"We've seen a growth in dance company events," said BPAC executive director Brian Luther. The center booked eight in 2011, is hosting 14 this year and has another 14 scheduled next year. An average dance weekend brings in about 4,000 people.

"You have to have a bed here," De Biaso joked.

About noon, the awards ceremony brought the first round of competitors to stage. Most received "high gold." A few snagged platinum and special awards like the "spirit award." Andrea Madden, 8, of Shakopee, who wore a satin jacket over her sequined outfit, exited carrying a stack of awards. Her mom, Stephanie, said they'd been up since 5:30 a.m. "It's just high energy," she said.

Most dancers began practicing last fall. Elizabeth Jarvis, 10, of Edina practices at her studio four days a week. "Dance is my life," she said. "I love when I go there. I just feel free."

The dancers praised the arts center as a venue for their competitions. "It's kind of become one of the favorite places," said Kourtney Getschel of Helmer Dance Studio in Hudson.

"I love how the seating is arranged," said Cathy Christenson, who owns Metropolitan Dance Alliance in Shakopee.

Though the competitions are not new, reality dance shows have boosted interest. "More people know it's out there," said Christenson. "Everybody is putting on a competition now."

Christenson said Federation of Dance Competitions events, like Masquerade, are the best. "You don't want to go to the ones where they don't respect dance," she said.

Dancers are judged on categories including technique, control, balance, precision, choreography and showmanship. Though a competition -- De Biaso said her granddaughter's group won $1,000 at a recent event -- most dancers win in some sense. All 50 of Christenson's entries qualified and advance to the Masquerade nationals in Burnsville in mid-June. During that event, dancers will have a pre-award ceremony "parade of hype," where dancers build floats and compete for the "most hype."

"The word is 'competition,' but a lot of this is just making friends," Christenson said.

That, and stage experience. "You need to have some stage sense," Christenson said. "That only comes from experience. The more you do it, the less nervous you get and the better you perform."

She and her partner, wearing pink sequined outfits with white fur collars and knee-high furry boots, strut onto the stage. "These Boots are Made for Walking" starts up.

"Girls, you got it! Sell it!" yells someone from the wings.

And they do.