Showtime Dance Studio in Perry celebrates 30 years in business this weekend with its Disney-themed spring recital, “Wishes, Dreams and Pixie Dust.” Friday night’s free performance at the Perry Performing Arts Center filled every seat, and Saturday night’s promises the same.
Longtime Showtime owner and operator Carlene Mehls Coleman is rightly proud of the longevity of her enterprise and the success of her students.
“I have two past graduates who have had the honor of being in Disney’s college pro program,” Coleman said Friday, “and only 10 percent of all their applicants even get an interview.”
The 30th annual dance and tumbling review has all the earmarks of a big family reunion or anniversary party, with six graduating students dancing solo finales and a large number of former students reprising their steps.
“I have 28 past graduates performing in the show,” Coleman said. “It’s really something great!”
The six seniors are Chelsea Leann Krueger of Perry High School, Maddie Mehls of Johnston High School, Hannah Elizabeth Meister of PHS, Lesley Jane Mendoza of PHS, Hannah Sackett of PHS and Elizabeth Weyers of Woodward-Granger High School.
Mehls received a pleasant surprise at the end of her solo performance, a spicy number called “Emergency.” Her brother, Carter Mehls, returned early from a trip to Houston, Texas, in order to see his sister’s last Showtime routine, but the fact was cleverly kept from her by her father, Ken Mehls.
At the end of her senior finale, when dancers customarily receive their families on stage with flowers, Carter Mehls greeted his sister Maddie with a big hug to the general delight of those present.
“Emergency” is a song by the Swedish electropop duo Icona Pop. The lyrics go like this:
So you wanna party? So you wanna dance?
You better know someone, then find someone of our friends
You wanna get higher? Shake that ass
Spinning ’round and ’round, and ’round and ’round like that
I put a little twist in my hips (Here we go)
Kiss on my lips (Here we go)
Ice on my wrist ‘cause I’m hot and I’m dancing (Here we go)
Caught that romancin’ (Here we go)
Cancel your plans and (Here we go)
Girls hide your mans, ‘cause I’m hot and I’m dancing (Here we go)
This is emergency (Wooh ooh ooh)
Call an ambulance, come rescue me (Wooh ooh ooh)
Everybody in this bitch (Wooh ooh ooh)
If you wanna get up, get down like this
Hallelujah, oh mercy me
Confess your sins and get down on your knees
And I’ll be good to you if you’re good to me
And we can go on and on and on and on
On and on and on and on
To complete the themed spring event, four Disney princesses were present at the end of show for pictures with children and adults. The princesses will return for Saturday’s performance with a little twist in their hips.
To see the full program of “Wishes, Dreams and Pixie Dust,” click here.
