July 17, 2008
Local Dance Team Advances on “America’s Got Talent” TV Show

Two young Duarte residents, Heather Gonzalez, 17, and Melissa Houlemarde, 14, are part of a contemporary power tap/clogging dance team that is currently competing on “America’s Got Talent” summer reality television series. The show airs Tuesday nights at 9 p.m. on NBC-TV. 
The Extreme Dance FX team of nine dancers, six of them residents of the San Gabriel Valley, is from the Dance Effect Studio in West Covina, owned by 24 year-old dance team captain Valerie Ramirez. Other members of the team are Abacy Chevis, 13 of West Covina, Jeremy Stoddard, 19, of Pasadena, Crickett Ester, 26 of Arcadia, Elaine Alva, 15 of Glendora, Danielle Mee, 16 of Grand Terrace and Megan Rogers, 17, of Hawthorne.
After making it through two preliminary rounds of competition, one before a live audience and ”America’s Got Talent” judges David Hasselhoff, Piers Morgan and Sharon Obsborne that was televised in June, the team was unanimously voted to advance to the Vegas Callbacks round of competition. The Vegas Callbacks episode of the show is expected to air sometime in mid to late July.

Ramirez, who started teaching extreme clogging six years ago when she was an instructor with the City of Duarte Parks and Recreation Department, is proud of the team’s success in the television competition. But the dance group is no stranger to competition or success. Among many awards, the team was named Grand Champion in regional competitions in Ogden, Utah and Las Vegas, Nevada in 2007. In the 2005 Junior Olympics in New Orleans, the team brought home 11 Gold Medals, one Silver Medal and one Bronze Medal, as well as earning overall awards.

Each week”America’s Got Talent” features a colorful array of hopeful stars, including singers, dancers, comedians, contortionists, impressionists, jugglers, magicians and ventriloquists. 

Should the Extreme Dance FX team make it through the Vegas Callbacks they will then move on to the live semi-final performance episodes where the American viewing audience will vote for their favorites each week. The series culminates with a live finale where one act will walk away with a million dollar prize and a contract for a show on the Las Vegas strip. 

In the meantime, the dance team is leaving nothing to chance, rehearsing three and four times a week to fine tune their act. 

A performance fundraiser to help support the team will be held at 7 p.m. on July 18 at the Grace T. Black Auditorium at 3130 Tyler Ave. in El Monte. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children, 5 to 10 years old. Children four years of age and under will be admitted free.
For more information, call the Dance Effect Studio at (626) 332-0110.