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Staten Island Advance
Dance benefit leaves crowd speechless
Fund-raiser for hoofers facing career transitions crackled with skill, enthusiasm, diversity
Thursday, October 27, 2005
ADVANCE STAFF WRITER
Put the fearfully flexible World Cup Shooting Star cheerleaders into a production number with American Ballet Theater apprentices and hip-hop soloist Mr. Wiggles, and what do you get?
The other night at City Center, you got an acrobatic, streetwise, semi-classical free-for-all that crackled with skill and enthusiasm. It was the perfect opening for the annual Career Transition for Dancers (CTFD) gala.
Even Liza Minnelli, not often speechless, was awestuck.
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KICKIN' IT WITH LIZA
Cheerleading group to perform with Liza Minnelli
BY EDDIE HOLLOWELL
STAFF WRITER
The athletes of World Cup All Stars Cheerleading, Freehold Township, are no strangers to stardom.
On the competitive side, the cheerleaders have made quite a name for themselves with a variety of national titles that they retain year after year.
On the entertainment side, members of the gym's elite squad, the Shooting Stars, have performed in New York City alongside Toni Basil, Bette Midler and Patti Labelle.
But for the Shooting Stars, who range from eighth-graders to high school seniors, such opportunities never get old.
"You don't expect to be performing for famous people like that," said Ciara Hill, 17, of Brick. "It's invigorating. It's an adrenaline rush."
On Monday, the Shooting Stars will be seeing stars ? again. A group of 17 was invited to perform at a benefit at the City Center in New York. The benefit will be hosted by Liza Minnelli.
"(World Cup Shooting Stars) were such a huge success last year, and people are still talking about it," Ann Marie DeAngelo, producer and director of the event, said in a prepared statement. DeAngelo was also the producer of a show last year at the City Center, where the Shooting Stars performed to the song "Mickey" alongside Toni Basil.
"It is a pleasure to work with such a talented and professional group of artists," DeAngelo said.
The event is to honor the 20th anniversary of Career Transition for Dancers, an organization with offices in New York and Los Angeles that assists dancers with finding careers when dance is no longer an option.
"The kids really enjoy it because they get to meet celebrities," said Joelle Antico of Colts Neck, who owns World Cup along with her mother, Elaine Pascale. "You don't really get to meet celebrities at cheer competitions."
For the athletes, the performance will be a break before the competitive season starts.
"The show is more entertainment, and we're looking to have fun," said Ashley Heiser, 17, of Howell. "The competitions are more stressful."
The competitive cheerleading season kicks off in November and runs through March. Typically the larger tournaments take place from December through February.
In addition, for the first time this year the cheerleaders will take part in a worldwide competition.
Shawn Heckler, the head tumbling coach at World Cup, said that while the entertainment performances are fun, the competitions are what the cheerleaders are in it for.
"They have that competitive spirit," said Heckler, of Lakewood.
Tickets for the benefit are available by calling CityTix at (212) 581-1212, visiting www .citycenter.org on the Web or going to the City Center Box Office, 131 W. 55th St., New York.
World Cup All Stars Cheerleading has programs for athletes from preschool through high school. For more information, call (732) 294-9287 or visit http://www.worldcupallstars.com/.
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** Shooting Stars are now the official Mickey Ladies to Toni Basil's platinum hit OH Mickey Your So Fine. They performed at the NY City Center on the live show Dancing On Air. Then did a NY Restoration Benefit at the Mariott Marquis with Bette Midler and Patti Labelle.
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