Eighteen dancers have been chosen for this year’s team. Click here to watch the selection show!

Phoenix Suns: The best dance team in the NBA is about to add some new faces and you’re going to help pick them! The Suns Dancers held their annual auditions this past weekend and narrowed the field to 30 finalists. Meet the hopefuls, watch them perform and cast your online vote for your favorite 16!

Click here to view photos from auditions

Click here to vote

Dance Studio 111 has room to spread out

by Coty Dolores Miranda
Arizona Republic

After 16 years, one of Ahwatukee’s leading dance studios, the Kimberly Lewis School of Dance, has moved to a new facility that is 4,000 square feet larger. And, in a move that surprised many, the studio changed its well-established name.

The school, formerly named after its founder and Ahwatukee resident Kimberly Lewis, is now known as Dance Studio 111. That reflects the suite number at its new location, 4910 E. Chandler Blvd., a strip mall that includes Madison Day Spa and LA Fitness.

“It’s a new studio, a new decade and a new name,” Lewis said. “It’s also a perfect location. We have a full glass-front studio where people can watch our students in class. Last night, we were running extra rehearsals and people driving by actually stopped and came in. They said they were impressed by the talent of our dancers.”

As a former professional dancer and founder and director of the Phoenix Suns dance team, Lewis is a good judge of talent. Her school has won three national dance championships and numerous regional awards.

The new facility boasts four dance rooms and a homework room.

State-of-the-art flooring is installed in all dance rooms - “a dream come true for students,” according to Lewis - and an improvement over the old studio’s wood floors.

Staff members are also enthusiastic. Carrie Matheus-Anders, artistic director since the studio opened, and one of the original Phoenix Suns dancers and choreographer, said that although the old studio was like home to her, the move means better class scheduling.

“After teaching for more than 16 years at KLSD, there’s a lot of nostalgia in leaving the old studio because we’ve been there so long. But we’d outgrown it,” she said. “I feel this is a fresh, new start, and with all the room, now they’ll be no problems in scheduling classes. We’ll be able to fit in all kinds of classes for all levels.”

Though the Dance Studio 111 grand opening celebration is scheduled for July 5, registration for summer and fall 2010 sessions began last week.

An addition this summer and fall is musical theater classes. In August, Lewis will audition the school’s inaugural Musical Theater Performing Company for ages 5 through adult.

“We want to give kids the opportunity to act, sing and dance,” Lewis said. “We’ll be performing routines from ‘The Lion King,’ ‘Mary Poppins,’ ‘The Wizard of Oz’ and other musical theater hits at various charity events, the Festival of Lights Kick-Off and other venues around the Valley.”

Lewis, who founded the Ahwatukee Foothills Nutcracker Ballet in 2000, said early registration is encouraged.

Classes are offered for children as young as 2 in ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, acrobatics, musical theater, technique, combo, hip-hop and pointe.

[KimberlyLewis.com]

Final reminder!

Watch Miss USA 2010 tonight on NBC and keep an eye on these three ladies!

Miss Arizona USA 2010 and former Phoenix Suns Dancer Brittany Bell

Miss Florida USA 2010 and former Orlando Magic Dancer Megan Clementi

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Miss Pennsylvania USA 2010 and former Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleader Gina Cerilli

Brittany was a Phoenix Suns Dancer.

Gina was a Philadelphia Eagles Cheerleader.

Megan was an Orlando Magic Dancer.

The 2010 Miss USA Pageant airs next Sunday on NBC.

The Phoenix Suns Dancers make a repeat appearance in this year’s Sports Illustrated NBA dance team gallery. Click here to see the dancers in action on game day.

The 2010 Suns Dancers Calendar presented by Verve, the Official Energy Drink of the Phoenix Suns, will go on sale on Thursday, January 28 when the Suns take on the Dallas Mavericks at US Airways Center. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m.

Prior to tip-off the entire 2010 Suns Dancers team will host a calendar signing in the Casino Arizona Pavilion from 7 – 8 p.m. During the signing the calendars will be available for the discounted price of $10.

The 16-month swimsuit calendar runs from January 2010 through April 2011 and features the entire 2009-10 Suns Dancers team, highlighting one dancer each month.

The 2010 Suns Dancers Calendar presented by Verve is available in The Team Shop for $11.99. All proceeds will benefit Phoenix Suns Charities.

Phoenix Suns Charities is the cornerstone of the team’s foundation, making grants to non-profit organizations that serve children and youth in the areas of education, health and human services, the arts, sports and recreation, and rehabilitation. In the 22 years since its inception, Phoenix Suns Charities has donated over nine million dollars to worthy Arizona organizations.

[Phoenix Suns Dancers]