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Dancing into the spotlight By Tony Boom ASHLAND � A nationwide television audience of 15 million viewers and 70,000 spectators will see 14 local dance team members perform at the Florida Citrus Bowl�s half-time show in Orlando on New Year�s Day. "I was so ecstatic. It was like �yes.� It�s such an accomplishment," said 16-year-old junior Jill Denton. Eleven dance team members from Ashland High School and three from Ashland Middle School were selected for the bowl show during a four-day dance camp held in August in Ashland. The 14 have taken the name "Dance Ashland, Oregon" for the trip and show. When the dancers auditioned for camp organizer Marching Auxiliaries� All-American team, they didn�t know they were competing to perform at the Citrus Bowl. That made for a low-stress tryout, said Meagan Armstrong, a 15-year-old sophomore. Ashland�s dancers will be the only Oregon group among 1,000 performers on the field. They will dance to the live music of Take Five, described as the "new, hot boy band" by dancer Casey Galusha, a 16-year-old junior. The team will receive a video showing the routine the group will perform for the Citrus Bowl show. Team members will arrive in Orlando Dec. 27 for practice sessions preceding the performance. Dancers are raising funds to underwrite the $1,500 per person needed for transportation and other trip expenses. A quarter drive at the high school raised $400, and two car washes have raised $350. A performance at the Oregon Tiger Sanctuary in Eagle Point resulted in a $7,750 contribution from donors who attended the show. Sanctuary owner Penny Torres said her organization likes to assist community groups as well as help exotic animals. Her son, Andrew Torres, is a student at Ashland High. "Being the only performers from Oregon makes fund-raising a lot easier," said Armstrong. The team held a hip-hop dance at the Ashland Armory Saturday and plans a dance instruction camp in early December. Ashland�s dance teams have grown under coach Kristina Kellems. She started the high school group last year and the middle school team in 1998. The high school group performed at Ashland basketball games last year and at three Grizzly football games this year. "Dance has been a passion of mine. I want to share that with (students)," said Kellems. The trip to Orlando will "give back to them and let them grow as dancers," she added. Kellems is also the coach of the dance team at Southern Oregon University, where she is a business management major. She founded a dance team in her hometown, Etna, Calif., before moving to Ashland. Kellems also operates Song and Dance, a studio in Ashland. Dance team members can be reached at the high school at 482-8771 or the middle school at 482-1611. Reach Ashland bureau reporter Tony Boom at 482-4651, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.