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Photograph by Skye Dunlap

The young performers of KIDZ on Tour have traveled as far as Florida with their act.

KIDZ take it on the road to malls and senior centers

By Justin Berton

Venessa McDonald can relate to Posh Spice for obvious reasons.

"She likes shoes and clothes, and so do I," said McDonald, a 9-year-old triple-threat performer in her own right.

McDonald, a Sunnyvale resident, is one of 10 child performers who will be hitting stages across the Bay Area this summer with the performing group called KIDZ on Tour.

KIDZ on Tour differs from the average children's performing group because, true to its name, kids learn not only how to sing and dance, but how to do it on the road.

"Everybody learns how to do everything," said director and choreographer Jennifer Howell. "They can perform at shopping malls, city conferences, senior centers or festivals."

All of the children, who range in age from 8 to 16, learn every one of the parts of their current set, a 30-minute song-and-dance performance of works from Walt Disney movies. In case one performer can't make a show or a faulty P.A. system throws a singer a curve, the kids are able to improv on the fly.

"They have to have the energy and confidence to perform individually, and know how to work as a team," Howell said.

The kids practice four hours each Saturday and Sunday at Ortega Park in Sunnyvale for eight weeks before they take their show on the road.

Christina Mar, mother of KIDZ performer Larisa, said watching the performances is fun, but the fear of the unexpected tends to give a parent white knuckles.

"At her first performance, I think I was more nervous than her," Mar said.

KIDZ on Tour began in 1992 when the Mountain View Playhouse closed. Howell was asked if she would be interested in running a children's production, but something with a twist.

Howell studied and performed in Fort Collins, Colo., where she also taught a children's conservatory group.

Most of the performers in KIDZ on Tour have been referred to the group by directors of larger productions in the area. Some have been scouted out by Howell and asked to join the group. Keeping the group intimate allows the children to learn more, Howell said.

"They get better experience working out of a smaller, concentrated program," Howell said.

The KIDZ hold two tours each year. One for the summer and spring, and one during the holiday season. Last year the group traveled as far as DisneyWorld in Florida and to Disneyland in Anaheim.

Besides the travel and the notoriety of being on stage, McDonald said she has no intention of splitting off on her own like Ginger Spice did from the Spice Girls. More like Posh, she'll be sticking around with her group.

"I like it because I get to see my friends," she said.

The next weekend performance of KIDZ on Tour will take place July 12 at the Los Altos Art and Wine Festival at 10 a.m.

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This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, July 8, 1998.
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