Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Photograph by George Sakkestad

Leigh High School freshman Trevor Canning is in his third season with Kidz on Tour.

Local teenager does song and dance

By Miriam Eljas

Trevor Canning is just as excited about attending Leigh High School this fall as any other 13-year-old Los Gatan, but he has a few other things on his mind--such as singing and touring with a nationally renowned production group called Kidz on Tour.

Now in his third season with Kidz on Tour, Trevor describes his performances as "a lot of fun, but hard." That may be due to his demanding schedule, where rehearsals last four hours and the group can perform up to four times a day.

This is not the first time Trevor has been on stage. He recalls his first performance in front of a large audience, at age 7, was as a monster in a Christmas production at the San Jose Children's Musical Theater. Trevor discovered his love for the theater and continued to take on roles in other productions, including The Velveteen Rabbit, with SJCMT and plays at Union Middle School, from which he just graduated.

Trevor auditioned for Kidz on Tour about a year and a half ago and is now an integral part of the group. This year, along with nine other youths age 8 to 16, Trevor performs in "Disney Dazzle," a half-hour medley of Disney songs artistically combined with dance routines.

The group selected by artistic director Jennifer Howell and musical director Allison Howell conducts two tours in the Bay Area per year: holiday and spring/summer. Jennifer is also a full-time employee of Burson-Marstellar Public Relations Firm, while her sister Allison is a student at De Anza College. The sisters manage the group together, carefully selecting and training their performers before each tour.

Jennifer explains that each tour group member comes with various strengths and weaknesses. Trevor came as "an outstanding performer and a remarkable child," but needed help with dance technique. "His dance skills have come a long way," she adds. "We are lucky to have him."

With no formal training other than a few classes on improvisation and dance, Trevor has made it quite far. He explains that his family has been very supportive of his decision to continue performing.

His mother, Kari, serves as the tour liaison. According to Jennifer, parents often pitch in to cover the many tasks of running a show. Even Trevor's brother, Carl, helps set up and dismantle the set.

The group works as a team and gets along pretty well, according to Trevor. "The troupe is a closely knit group where each person contributes," Jennifer adds.

Trevor's most memorable and challenging show occurred when only four out of a cast of 12 showed up to a performance. Two microphones for all four performers meant sharing mikes.

"It was a big mess, but we pulled it off. The audience was happy," he recalls.

The group has become so well-known that last Christmas the kids of Kidz on Tour went to Disney World in Florida and took their families with them, performing in the Magic Kingdom and at MGM Studios.

Despite the success of Kidz on Tour, Trevor is not sure if the show biz life is for him. "Kidz on Tour is a lot of fun, and I am glad I am doing it. But I don't know if I want to do this sort of thing for the rest of my life," he says.

[ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ]