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CONGRATULATIONS 
SHANE TRELOAR!

YOU DID A WONDERFUL JOB SINGING THE NATIONAL ANTHEM AT 
PNC PARK and on
Pittsburgh Today Live!!!!
A newsmaker you should know 10-year-old is clear winner singing anthem at Bucs game
2011-09-22

Shane Treloar of North Fayette has been described as the boy with the golden voice.

On Sept. 14, the 10-year-old crooner became the first boy to sing the National Anthem before a Pittsburgh Pirates game.

He delivered a flawless performance before the Pirates played the St. Louis Cardinals in an afternoon game.

"He nailed it," said Kim Treloar, Shane's mother. "He hit every note and he sang the song the right way. He didn't add anything to it. He sang it the way it's supposed to be sung."

Mrs. Treloar said she was nervous viewing Shane's performance from the sidelines and that it is probably a feeling that will never go away, no matter how many performances he gives. Shane said he was a little nervous as well. Fortunately, his excitement overcame his fear as he lived out his longtime dream.

"It was a really big crowd and I really wanted to perform in front of thousands of people," he said.

The invitation to sing at the game came as a surprise to Shane. Unbeknownst to him, his grandmother, Kathy Dugan of Monroeville, had sent in a video of him singing God Bless America in August before a game of the Washington Wild Things, the Frontier League team based in Washington, Pa.

After viewing the video, Christine Serkoch, Pirates marketing director, called Shane and invited him to sing at PNC Park.

"I was like, 'oh my gosh, this is my dream,' " he said. "I was so excited and just amazed."

Shane's performance at the game sparked some media attention that he said has stirred up some mixed feelings.

"I feel kind of weird because I never get this much attention and I was never on the news," he said. "I'm feeling happy and weird at the same time."

After the performance, Shane had the opportunity to meet some of the Pirate players and have his shirt autographed.

"This is something he'll always remember," said Mrs. Treloar.

Shane's musical ability began at a young age. According to Mrs. Treloar, he began singing as soon as he could talk.

"There was music coming out of his mouth constantly," she said.

Shane's talents became evident to his family on Thanksgiving Day when he was 7 years old. He had seen the movie Titanic and become enthralled with the songs, especially "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion.

After dinner, family members persuaded Shane to sing the song for them. Mrs. Treloar said the reaction of the family was unexpected.

"I watched the faces of everyone around the table and some of them were crying and everybody's mouths were open," she said. "I said to my husband that night, 'wow, we have something here.' "

A few months later, he performed the song at his school's talent show and elicited the same reactions from the audience.

His talent caught the attention of Karen Prunzik of Broadway Dance Studio in Robinson and upon her recommendation, Shane was enrolled in singing, dancing, and acting classes. The idea was to make him a "triple threat" by teaching him the three disciplines.

Shane's training involves jazz, ballet, tap and musical theater classes three times a week and weekly voice lessons from Pittsburgh vocalist Etta Cox.

"Even athletes will tell you, if this is something you want to pursue and be good at, you give your time to it," said Mrs. Treloar.

Shane is working toward his next goal of appearing on "America's Got Talent." As for his biggest dream, Shane said he hopes to someday appear on Broadway.

Shannon M. Nass, freelance writer

Pittsburgh Post Gazette's Dance Critic, Jane Vranish

On Stage: From Broadway to Pittsburgh

It’s that time of year when local dance studios unveil the fruits of their labors. When I can schedule it, I like to visit a couple of new locations to better assess the quality and quantity of the Pittsburgh area dance scene. After all, I still assert that local dance studios are Pittsburgh’s hidden treasure.

The first I was able to attend this year was Karen Prunzik’s Broadway Dance Studio recital at West Allegheny High School. Karen has strong Broadway roots (“42nd Street,” “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”) and plays to her strengths, as does staff member and Pittsburgh theater icon Lenora Nemetz (“Cabaret,” “Chicago,” “Gypsy”).

Students at BDS volunteer to be in the recital and all rehearsals are conducted outside of technique classes. Led by Karen, the staff sets up a theme, this year called “Lights! Camera! Action!,” and produces a night of entertainment that includes theatrical sketches, song and, of course, dance.

“Lights!” focused on the history of film, though, and it was a choice extravaganza. The students actually participated in a history lesson, from Mack Sennett to Ann Miller and . As for me, I was delighted to see actual film clips — “42nd Street,” “The Wizard of Oz” and “American in Paris” among them.

Karen also showed Gene Kelly’s acceptance speech at the American Film Institute, where he said he wanted to be a Pittsburgh Pirate baseball player — a real slice of local dance history!

The tap numbers, in particular were, well, tip top. Two of her students, Natalie Sciulli and Gabriela Zueckero (only 11 years old!) took off on a Fred Astaire and  Eleanor Powell number, “Begin the Beguine” from “Broadway Melody of 1940.” The duo was spot on the original choreography, echoing each other in swift succession.

Karen and friends also took the Mack Sennett idea to another level with a silent movie based on a Keystone Kops scenario and filmed on local train tracks.

All I can say is that I was continually intrigued by the inventiveness of the show. Karen and company bring a real sense of professionalism and dedication to the Pittsburgh dance school scene.

Jane Vranish, Cross Currents

World's a stage for young 'triple threat'

Photos
click to enlarge

Let me entertain you 
Submitted


Gabriela Zucckero has been described as a threat, but she doesn't mind.

"Actually, I'm a triple threat," the Quaker Valley eighth-grader said, laughing.

She's only threatening on the stage.

Gabriela, 13, dances, sings and acts -- all well, says Karen Prunzik, her teacher at Broadway Dance Studio & Performing Arts in Robinson.

This spring, the Glen Osborne teen's talents have won her the Best Vocalist Award at Onstage New York at Cornell High School, where she received the Triple Threat Scholarship to Joe Lanteri's New York City Dance Alliance Summer Intensive. And she won a Platinum Award after portraying Judy Garland in "Get Happy" from the movie "Summer Stock" at Onstage and an Access Broad competition at the Pittsburgh Airport Hyatt.

She and her partner, Natalie Sciulli, a seventh-grader at West Allegheny Middle School, also won Platinum Awards and a first-place score in both competitions for tap dancing to "Begin the Beguine" from "Broadway Melody" 1940.

Gabriela who has been performing with Natalie for eight years, played the part of Fred Astaire, wearing a suit and slicking back her hair into a bun.

Prunzik helped the girls with the choreography, which she said "is of one of the most notorious and difficult tap numbers in movie history."

Gabriela admitted it was a difficult piece to perform.

"It was really hard, but it was great choreography. It was the actual choreography done by Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell."

Gabriela also appeared in the Broadway Performing Arts production "LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!" at various local summer festivals this year.

She again performed "Get Happy" and also played a cyclone in the "The Wizard of Oz" piece in the show held at West Allegheny High School auditorium.

This summer, after deciding to save the scholarship she won in New York for another year, Gabriela participated in Broadway Dance's Summer Intensive,

Gabriela also was chosen as a volunteer assistant to Kaylin Poorman at Broadway Performing Arts for the second year for its Princess Camp, where 3- to 5-year-olds learned dances from such pieces as "Ballet Princesses," "Coppelia," "Sleeping Beauty" and "Cinderella."

"It was a huge success, and Gabriela was a huge help. Gabriela is an extremely hard worker, and she has such a passion for everything she does," Prunzik said.

Gabriela, daughter of Richard and Renee Zucckero, recently began taking piano lessons and would like to earn a master's degree in music at Carnegie Mellon and perform on Broadway one day.

"Knowing Gabriela and teaching her since she was a baby, watching her grow into such a lovely, mature young lady has been a joy for me," Prunzik said.



Karen Prunzik's Broadway Dance Studio & Performing Arts in 

My Macy's Holiday Parade








Shane in Kean Idol Competition. 






Our very own Shane Treloar made the TOP 30 at St. Barnabas Charity event, Kean Idol!  Shane won the Audience choice award!  
GREAT JOB Shane!!!



Richland's Jackie Evancho was a runner-up in the Kean Idol talent show for St. Barnabas Charities in 2008 and 2009, then finished second on a much bigger stage last autumn on "America's Got Talent."

In honor of the 10-year-old soprano's accomplishments, Kean Idol has named its championship award after her. Jackie will be on hand to present the first Jackie Evancho award at the finals April 15.

Thirty young performers advanced to the finals from semi-final rounds last Sunday. Audience choice winners were Logan Smith, an eighth-grader in the Plum Borough School District, and Shane Treloar, a fourth-grader in the West Allegheny School District.




Read more the full article here!

IN PRINT

Click here to see an article on Karen on WXPI:
http://www.wpxi.com/entertainment/10990612/detail.html

Click here to access the story on Karen & John Kenley:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06264/723800-346.stm

Click here to access the story on Honors Teacher Paul Draper:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06320/738711-42.stm

Click here to access the story onĀ  Karen Choreographs at Point Park University:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06324/739743-42.stm

Click here to access the story on Alyson Young:
Children's Hospital Fundraiser
Karen Prunzik's Broadway Dance Studio & Performing Arts raised over $750 from their special Benefit matinee Musical Production of "Christmas in New York" written and directed by Broadway legend, Lenora Nemetz and held at David E Williams Middle School in Coraopolis on December 19, 2010. 
 
Rather than offer a monetary check to Children's Hospital, the cast members decided to purchase Christmas gifts for the patients.  We were told that most gifts donated to the Hospital were toys for children and what was most needed on Christmas Day were gifts for teenage patients.  
 
Our older cast members met at the Robinson Mall the day after the show and began shopping until the money ran out.  They purchased the perfect gifts for the teens, cool slippers, ipod ear buds, sparkly journals and pens, fuzzy pajama pants and sweats, knit hats and baseball caps and the list goes on and on. They were so proud and happy when they were finished and I was very proud that not only did they shop so well but that they were so happy to do so.  
 
They took their gifts to Children's the next day. Unfortunately because they are under the age of 18, they are not able to visit the patients and present their gifts in person.  But they had the honor of meeting with the Vice President of RN, Diane Hull, who graciously explained to the kids what these gifts will mean to the patients. 
 
I will never forget her talk with my students or the look on their faces as she told them what Christmas would be like for the 25 teenage patients on Christmas morning. She explained that as much as the Hospital Employees try to make the Holiday a Festive one for them, many of them will not have family visit them for various reasons. And most of them will not receive gifts. 
 
Looking at the numerous bags of gifts the kids brought with them, she added that this year she was sure that every teen would receive a gift because of them.  
 
I looked at my students and I could see their eyes well up a bit.
 
Diane then told them that she has worked at Children's Hospital for 25 years and this was the first time she has ever experienced young people such as them doing what they did for these teen patients.  
 
That is when I knew Christmas had touched Broadway Dance Studio.