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12 + WATERLOO CHRONICLE + Wednesday, November 7. 2007 Dancers Sydney Peister, Brooke Rourke, Katie Priester and Angela Nogueira, from the left, will compete in an international tapâ€" dancing competition in Germany at the end of November. They are still raising money for the trip. IENNIFEA ORMSTON PHOTO Tap dancers are bound for Germany ater this month, four local dancers I will travel to Reisa, Germany, for e first time. Sightseeing won‘t top the girls‘ list of things to do there, although they will get some in. _ Instead, their focus will be on a tapâ€" dancing competition â€" one that‘s conâ€" sidered to be the Olympics of their field. Taking part in the World Tap Dance Competition, put on by the Internaâ€" tional Dance Organization, will likely be a onceâ€"inâ€"aâ€"lifetime opportunity for Brooke Rourke, Sydney Peister, Angela Nogueira artd Katie Priester, according to their dance instructor, Kristin Wem»â€" er. Today Werner‘s the studio director of Waterloo‘s Star Performance Academy. But not so long ago she was in their position, competing with Team Canada in Germany for the top spot, which they earned in 2003. The girls all recognize just how big an opportunity it is to be chosen for this team. _ * just think it‘s a great experience of a lifetime," said Nogueira, 14, of Kitchâ€" ener. The dancers currently are continuâ€" ing in their regular studio training at Star Performance Academy, in addition to working with Team Canada‘s coach, By Jennteer ORMStON Chronicle Staff 50 Victoria Street N., Kitchener + 519â€"570â€"2722 Canada‘s largest retail flooring chain‘! Matthew Clarke, on the weekends. "I‘m really proud of them for all the hard work they‘re doing, to be able to take on their regular load plus this on top," Werner said. ; â€" From her experience, the rehearsals are long, up to six to eight hours on the weekends, which is hard on the feet given the intensive nature of tapping. Upon their arrival in Reisa, near Dresden, at the end of November, Team Canada‘s 16 members will practise in hallways â€" wherever they can find some space. "So it‘s any free time and all the free time they have once they get to the airâ€" port," she said. . _‘ "And then the competition itself is gruelling because it‘s done in rounds, so they have the first open round, and then they narrow it down, and narrow it down until they get the top 6 counâ€" "So you‘re competing the dance over and over again in the same day or two." It will be a challenging time for the girls, said Werner. "They‘ll learn to sucâ€" ceed in a fastâ€"paced international enviâ€" ronment." j And seeing how dance teams from different countries approach a compeâ€" tition of this calibre is something the girls are interested in, especially their choreography. As the 'da'y approaches, they girls‘ emotions are switching between being nervous and excited. LIFESTYLE of Runners . . . Not Just End Rolls + Carpet * Berbers * Laminate + Ceramic * Hardwood For 12â€"yearâ€"old Rourke, the thought of performing on the stage in Germany has her a bit anxious. â€""It‘s a really big stage, a big big one," she said. This experience comes with a steep price, however. Each dancer will pay about $2,875 to travel to Germany, not including their meals. The girls have been fundraising, and even held a danceâ€"aâ€"thon that helped bring the total each has raised to around $500. Werner said they won‘t be able to collect enough to cover their costs, and donations are still being accepted at Star Performance Academy, 510 Dotzert Court, Unit 1, off King Street near Conestoga Mall. So far, the public has been receptive to their requests for funding, said Priester, 14. "They‘re like ‘wow.‘ They‘re in shock that we‘re doing it." This is the first time any of Werner‘s pupils has taken part in the internaâ€" tional competition. _ _ Opened in 2005, Star Performance Academy â€" where students can take a variety of classes, from ballet and drama, to musical theatre and hip hop â€" is still a young school, which makes the fact some of its pupils were chosen for Team Canada even more rewarding. "I‘m really passionate about tap, so to pass it on to the students, and they just fly with it, ends up being a strength of our studio for sure," she said. The Area‘s LARGEST Selection JENNFER ORMSTON PHOTO e Kâ€"W Symphony volunteer committee is I hosting its fourth annual Love of Music Marathon at First United Church in Waterloo on Nov. 10 from 3 a.m to 5 p.m. The event is free to the public and features music students and professional musicians performing to raise funds in aid of the Kâ€"W Symphony Orchestra. _ The committee‘s focus, this yeér, is to fill both venâ€" ues (Hilliard Hall and the nave} with an audience other than mom, dad, grandparents. l-,lghlvrefreshmenls;re available at a nominal cost The public may come and go at leisure. _ Confirmation has alrea;fy been received for a high school orchestra performance. Last year more than $20,000 was raised from the event. _ _ _ For more information call Joanne Bender at 519â€" 885â€"0319 or Astrid Braun at 519â€"884â€"2843. r [‘he Waterloo Community Arts Centre is hosting a free mural forum to explore mural production in Waterloo Nov. 9. â€" â€" Join politicians, citizens and municipal workers from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to explore the process of mural production with guidance by two very qualiâ€" fied speakers. WCAC invited Canadian artist and muralist Noreen Mallory of Athens, Ont., and the executive director of Mural Routes (Scarborough) to ignite this discussion. Karin Eaton is the executive director of Mural Routes (www.muralroutes.ca), an organization proâ€" moting and facilitating the creation of public art murals for the benefit of the communities in which they are located. Mural Routes offers communicaâ€" tion, guidance and expertise to communities, municipalities and other groups who wish to locate murals in neighbourhoods. Mallory is a Montrealâ€"based artist and muralist. She is a master of powerful and evocative semiâ€" abstract imagery derived from observation of the human figure and of organic land and water forms, especially those of southern Ontario. Roop ns anne ie o esd The speakers will enlighten participants with their experiences as a muralist and as an arts manâ€" ager, giving our community a better understanding of the steps involved in the process of mural proâ€" duction like choosing the location, what do business owners need to know, community engagement conâ€" tracts and types of materials. WCAC executive director, Sher DiCiccio, encourâ€" ages the Waterloo community to attend and explore this very public art form. ~ _ The free mural forum was made possible through support of the federal government. Love of Music Marathon at First United Church Mural forum at WCAC