Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal Seeliger Elementary School students Madyson Stokes, 11, and Melissa Rhees, 10, rehearse Wednesday at the school for tonight's variety show.
Variety shows are but once a year at Seeliger Elementary School and tonight's 6:30 p.m. performance showcases 46 students in 26 acts.
"I have 5-year-olds all the way up to 11-year-olds," said physical education teacher Michele Van Voorst, who is organizing the event. "I even have little kindergartners in the show."
The show is in the multi-purpose room at Seeliger, but students will have a chance to catch acts during the day in 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. performances. The evening event is for family and friends.
One group of girls excited about tonight's performance are "The Pink Panthers." The fourth-graders are all friends and doing a dance routine to a song called "One, Two Step" by Ciara.
"We've practiced every week at school and at everyone's home," said Leah Baker, 9. "We've been practicing for a long time."
They wore their dance outfits, black pants and pink tops with silver sequins on the neckline Tuesday afternoon during rehearsal.
They went shopping last weekend for the outfits.
"I'm excited that we actually made it (into the show)," said McKenna Mitchell, 9.
Also in the group are Dixxie Hafeman, 10, and Katie Garza, 9. About halfway through the show fifth-grader Andy Shao, 10, will show up on stage with classmates Melissa Rhees, 10, and Madyson Stokes, 10, to play the "Little Fugue for Strings."
Andy, who said his mom and dad made him sign up for the variety show, is anxious about tonight's performance. He's been playing violin, though, for three years.
"I'm scared," he said. "I have stage fright."
Melissa, who's playing with Andy, also admitted being anxious, but she's been in church performances before. And she's performed as part of the "Strings in the Schools" program.
Van Voorst started doing the variety show after she found information from VH1's "Save the Music" Web site that says that music helps students develop critical thinking skills and self-discipline and promotes cognitive development.
"The reason, really, I'm doing this is for student self-esteem," she said. "The kids are so proud to do something in front of their classmates."
-- Contact reporter Maggie O'Neill at moneill@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1219.
If you go
WHAT: Seeliger Elementary School second annual Variety Show
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. tonight
WHERE: Multi-purpose room of Seeliger Elementary School, 2800 S. Saliman Road
CALL: 283-2200