Dancing Queen

Jenefer Tudor is a dancing queen. She’s young and sweet, but she’s actually 16.

The Newton Senior High School student, entering her junior year, has taken dance classes since she was 2 years old. She became a member of a competition team when she was just 4.

“I love dance because it’s a way of expressing yourself without actually saying words,” Jenefer said.

Jenefer has experience dancing in all types of dance styles including contemporary, lyrical, ballet and tap.

Jenefer was presented with a partial scholarship to a Go Pro workshop and show in Branson, Mo., where only “the best of the best” compete, according to her mother Brenda. Go Pro is a pre-professional summer workshop with the goal of assisting dancers as they make their transition to a professional dance career.

“I’m really excited,” Jenefer said. “It’s a really good experience to go through.”

After the week-long intensive workshop, the dancers perform with Kidz Rock at three shows in Branson. On Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, Jenefer is hosting a kids clinic for children three to seven. At 4 p.m., Jenefer herself will perform and at 5 p.m. the children from the clinic will perform. The clinic will cost $5 and other donations made will help pay for the rest of Jenefer’s workshop attendance in Branson, Mo.

Jenefer said while she likes dancing herself, she loves teaching others the art because it’s what she wants to do when she grows up.

“I’d kind of like to get out of Newton and teach,” she said, “but it’d fun to start out in Newton.”

Staff writer Dave Hon may be contacted at (641) 792-3121, ext. 425, or at dhon@newtondailynews.com.