dancing ability to Chicago

By JAINE TREADWELL

Features Editor

July 27, 2000 10 PM

Kristin Railey and Haley Walters eat, sleep and breath dance. They twirl to the breakfast table, spin to the swimming pool and pirouette into bed at night. Now, they can add a whirl around Chicago to their repertoire.

The two dance students from "The Studio" in Troy just returned from the Chicago Dance Connections Jazz Camp 2000 held in St. Charles, Ill.

They were awarded scholarships to the prestigious school of dance for their outstanding performance at nationals in Panama City.

"I was surprised that two of the eight scholarships awarded went to our girls," said Haley Krey, The Studio dance instructor. "I wasn’t surprised that they were judged deserving of the scholarships.

It’s just unusual for a studio to be awarded more than one scholarship. This was a really big thing. We were extremely proud."

For Kristin, 10,

and Haley,11, the opportunity to attend the Chicago Dance Connection Jazz Camp and study under some of Chicago’s finest instructors and choreographers, including world-renowned master instructor Gus Gioldano, was a big step in the direction they want to go.

Both would like careers in dance – either on stage or as instructors. And, their dreams are not just flashes in the pan. They have been dancing since the early age of three and they enjoy it more with each passing year. In fact, their whole life is a dance.

They get up dancing and they go to bed dancing and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Both admitted they even dance at home behind closed doors.

"I dance in front of the mirror," Kristin said, laughing. "I think we all do. We see how we look and what we are doing right and what we are doing wrong." Haley nodded in agreement.

They learned a lot of "right" things in Chicago and they were impressed by the knowledge and skill of their instructors. However, Kristin and Haley are ballerinas and they found themselves in a different kind of dance.

"We like jazz okay, but what we really like is ballet," Haley said. "In Chicago, most of the classes were in jazz but we learned a lot we didn’t know and it will help us because we need to know how to do different kinds of dances."

The girls even took a class in hip-hop and it left them flipped and flopped.

"It was hard to learn," Kristin said.

"It was so fast and we got worn out," Haley said, laughing, and adding that she and Kristin now have a deeper respect for hip-hop dancers.

"Haley and Kristin are very spiritual," Krey said. "They like softer music that they can feel. The introduction they received to other kinds of dance was a valuable learning experience for them."

The girls also found the bright lights of the big city of Chicago to their liking.

"We got to ride in a stretch limo and we went into Chicago

and ate at the Hard Rock Cafe," Haley said. "Then we walked around and it was a lot of fun."

"We also went to a dinner theater and saw the musical ‘Grease,’ Kristin said. "I would like to be in a show like that, but I can’t sing."

Both girls said they would welcome another opportunity to participate in a highly acclaimed dance camp because the camps provide opportunities and experiences that will open doors for them in the future.

Krey said those opportunities will come because Kristin and Haley have excellent technique and their attitudes show that they really love what they do.

"Those are the kinds of dancers who stand out at competitions and at workshops," Krey said. "They are the ones who have the potential to go places in dance. I’m very proud of these two ballerinas."