Dance Students

The Eastwood school's librarian, Cheryl Madden, had just finished saying her farewells to the fifth-grade class seated attentively in their dress-up clothes in the front-row seats. She ended with a line from a quote, saying that "one can go backward toward safety or forward toward growth. " She encouraged the children to embrace the growth that will naturally come as they move on to middle school in the fall. Then she walked down the stage steps and out a side door. As she quickly disappeared down the empty hall, her chest heaved with sobs and her voice squeaked with each breath.

On June 11, 2006, JOSEPH B. WALKER SR., 69, of Essex, MD; cherished and beloved husband of Leslie C. Walker; devoted father of three children, Hope, Joe Jr., and Rodney and grandfather to nine; brother of Fran, John, Theresa and Margaret. Also survived by a host of other family, his cherished line dance students and loving extended family. Funeral services will be held at the Connelly Funeral Home of Essex, 300 Mace Avenue, Wednesday 11 A.M. Entombment, Gardens of Faith Memorial Gardens.

Hometown -- Baltimore Current members --Dominic Earle Shodekeh Bouma Founded in --1997 Style --beatboxing Influenced by --Rahzel, Emanon, Kenny Liner Notable --Three days a week, Shodekeh provides musical accompaniment for dance classes at Towson University. Most of the time, it's just him with a mike, making modern and ballet dance students move. Quotable --"It makes me feel like I'm no longer a novelty," he said. "It makes me feel like I'm a real musician. A lot of times a beatboxer is treated as a cool party trick or a novelty act. [At Towson]

County participants, all high school seniors, in the state Talent inthe Arts competition were honored by the Board of Education at the Jan. 9 monthly meeting.Students from South Carroll High are:* Judith Franklin, Jennifer Kuipers, and Nicol Purdy, honorable mention in art.* Paula Moyer, semifinalist in instrumental music.* Stephanie Roberts, semifinalist in dance.Students from Liberty High are:* Danielle Haslam, Jenesse Jordan and Tracey Watts, honorable mention in drama.* Steven Lyons, honorable mention in vocal music.

Thursday DEFINITELY, MAYBE -- (Universal Pictures) A political consultant (Ryan Reynolds) tries to explain his impending divorce and past relationships to his 11-year-old daughter. With Abigail Breslin and Rachel Weisz. JUMPER -- (20th Century Fox) Hayden Christensen stars as a man who can teleport himself anywhere but soon discovers his gift also makes him a target. With Samuel L. Jackson and Diane Lane. THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES -- (Paramount Pictures) Twin brothers and their sister find themselves pulled into an alternate world full of fairies and other creatures when they move into a run-down estate.

More than 100 dance students at Glen Burnie High School will take to the school stage at 7 p.m. today in a program that ranges nTCfrom ballet, tap and jazz to '50s and Caribbean dance styles.The dancers are under the direction of teacher Diane Rosso.Highlights will include solo performances by five of Rosso's senior students: Kristen King, Wendy Robinson, Amber Hughes, Brianne Burkhead and Christine DeGuzman.A group of school sports stars will perform two dances, "Cool" from "West Side Story" and a perennial audience favorite, Rosso's "Dances for the Athlete."

`Tales From Down Under' Hey, "Survivor" fan: Still need your fix of the Australian outback? This weekend, Pumpkin Theatre is showcasing the Barefoot Puppets in a production of "Tales From Down Under," a collection of Australian fairy tales and folk tales. Puppeteer Heidi Rugg brings a dozen or so of her puppets alive to help her tell several of the tales she's written, all adapted from Australian folklore. Rugg is a member of the National Capital Puppetry Guild and Puppeteers of America.

Patterson Mill Middle School faculty and students held their fourth Hoops for Heart and Tobacco Awareness Assembly last Friday, rewarding the school for meeting and exceeding its goal of raising $17,000. The event, sponsored by the PMMS physical education and health departments, helps students understand the benefits of lifelong physical activity while raising funds to support lifesaving heart and stroke research. This event is a joint project of the American Heart Association and the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

The Kennedy Center is bursting at the seams with dance this week, from fake Martha Graham to dazzling ballet virtuosity.American Ballet Theatre, the closest thing this country has to the great Russian troupes, is in the midst of a weeklong run in the Opera House. Its mixed rep program, at 8 tonight, includes Agnes de Mille's "Fall River Legend," a dramatic ballet based on the tormented life of accused ax murderer Lizzie Borden; Sir Frederick Ashton's lilting "Les Patineurs" ("The Skaters")

YOU HAVE TO be a cellist to appreciate the jokes. Like, "How do you make a cello sound beautiful?" Answer: "Sell it and buy a violin."A periodic congress is becoming the professional meeting place of choice for world cellists. The first one was held at the University of Maryland's College Park campus in 1988. The second World Cello Congress will occur July 1 through July 8 in St. Petersburg, Russia, to honor renowned musician Mstislav Rostropovich. The third one is scheduled for the summer of 2000 in the Baltimore area.