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Dancer wins third annual Teen Talent Competition

Aug. 16, 2011

Contact:
Amy Roth, Aurora Public Library Public Information Manager
afroth@aurora.lib.il.us
630-264-4125

AURORA – Dancer Brittany Austin of Aurora won the Aurora Public Library’s Third Annual Teen Talent Competition held Aug. 13 at the Copley Theatre in downtown Aurora.
Austin, who is homeschooled, performed a lyrical dance to the song, “Beautiful Beautiful” written and sung by Christian recording artist Francesca Battistelli. Austin, 14, has been awarded several dance scholarships. Just before the competition, she spent three weeks in a Joffrey Ballet Summer Intensive. She also has performed at Disney World and has studied at Lou Conte Dance Studio in Chicago.
KISS FM disc jockeys Special K (Scott Corchin) and Los Angeles-based Clear Channel disc jockey Ty Bentli were masters of ceremony for the show, which featured 13 acts. Corchin also performed a hip-hop piece. A one-time contestant on “So You Think you can Dance,” Corchin gave an audience member two tickets to an upcoming performance by this season’s dancers.
The free competition was the brainchild of teen librarians Hannah Berry at the Main Library; Pat Schwartz at the West Branch, and Angie Baugher at the Eola Road Branch.
Three Teen Advisory Board members judged the competition along with guest judge Tony Montana, drummer for the Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute band Creedence Again. Montana also is the owner of Spiral Grooves Studio, and he performs with his two-man loop show, The Dub Currents.
The competitors hailed from Aurora, North Aurora, St. Charles, Yorkville, Naperville, Lemont and Itasca.
Also competing were: Jessica Blakely, 14, of St. Charles; Alex Butler, 17, of Aurora; Sierra Lyn Genslinger, 14, of Yorkville; Sara Butler, 14, of Aurora; Becca Zagorski and Annie Elizabeth Ternes, both 14, of Lemont; Kristina Viloria, 13, of Aurora; Kristin Rios, 13, of Aurora; Jacob Metoyer, 15, of Itasca; Sam Coyner, 14, of Aurora and Caiiti Cassidy, 15, of Naperville, who performed as “Don’t Try this at Home,”; Kathryn Margaret Griswold, 12, of North Aurora; Shannon Rachel Scott, 13, of Aurora; and Anna, 15, and Ashu Gupta, 13, of Aurora.
Returning as the guest performer was Hayley Darukhanavala, 13, of North Aurora, the winner of the 2010 competition.
Click here to see pictures.