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Every time they dance, they’re really quite precocious

Standing in front of the gate to the ball field at Commerce Bank Ballpark on Aug. 26, you’d think the 10 dancers from Manville’s Main Street Dance would be too nervous for their show.

By Eileen Oldfield, Staff Writer
     "As a whole they were mesmerized," said Julie LaPadula, owner and dance teacher at the South Main Street studio. "They saw how big the stadium was and all the people, and they were nervous and excited."
   Luckily, the girls overcame their stage fright, and performed hip-hop dances to "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" and "Step In Time," from Disney’s "Mary Poppins," for the crowd.
   Following the performance, the girls met members of the Somerset Patriots baseball team and collected autographs.
   Though this was the dancers’ first public performance, and their first time dancing at the stadium, it wasn’t the first time the Patriots asked them to dance.
   When the team pioneered its "Dancin’ with the Patriots" pre-game dance competition last year, Ms. LaPadula, a Manville resident, received a call for participants.
   Since she’d recently opened her studio, located on South Main Street, she declined the first invitation, but kept it in mind for the next year.
   "I started training the most motivated and interested dancers," said Ms. LaPadula. "We wanted to get our stuff together and get it done."
   Though her dancers dance a hip-hop dance for this performance, many of the dancers take tap as well. The girls, who range from age 8 to 14, are split into two groups for the performances.
   And, despite being nervous about their first show, the girls are ready to take the stage again. The girls will provide entertainment during Macy’s "Shop For A Cause" fundraiser at the Bridgewater Commons Mall on Oct. 13.
   "Now that they’ve done it, they can’t wait to do it again," said Ms. LaPadula.
   The dancers will also host a holiday party at the People Care Center in Bridgewater in December, and will dance and serve refreshments to the attendees. Ms. LaPadula intends to get the dancers involved in community events, as well.