THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, May 17, 1996 TAG: 9605170066
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: TEENOLOGY
SOURCE: BY KIA MORGAN ALLEN, CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Long : 102 lines
ALL WAS quiet, except for the interlude that led into the lyrics of ``The Greatest Love of All,'' which blared from the radio.
``I can sing that song, Mommy,'' announced 4-year-old Rashidra Scott, interrupting her mother's conversation with an old friend.
The youngster jumped up on the brick platform hearth in front of the fireplace, grabbed a metal stoker and belted out the song, with all the moves and actions of a grown-up performer.
``It just blew me away,'' recalled her mother, Sylvia Scott-Campbell. ``She went through the whole nine yards, stage presence and everything. I had never really heard her sing like that before.''
Rashidra, whose name means ``righteous'' in Swahili, seems to be doing all the right things.
The 13-year-old Kempsville Middle School eighth-grader is an honor student, athlete, saxophonist, pianist, dancer, marching band flag bearer, actress and even a singing star - well, sort of.
Recently, in front of hundreds of hecklers who often boo and hiss acts off the stage of New York City's Apollo Theater, she worked the crowd, getting them to clap and cheer as she sang ``The Battle Is the Lord's.'' The program aired about four weeks ago.
Rashidra, a spunky, fast-talking, confident student, got less than 15 minutes of fame but more than a lifetime's worth of memories.
After waiting three months to see the taping, she could barely look at herself on TV. She had realized a longstanding dream by performing on the world-renowned Apollo stage, which is one of the most important showcases for black talent in the nation.
Rashidra competed against one other performer on ``Showtime at the Apollo's'' kids event, and he was ``good,'' she said.
Rashidra, sporting a satin purple pants suit, was not noticeably nervous on television.
``I was nervous,'' she said. ``Usually when I sing that song, I get so into it that I start crying. There has not been one time when I sing the whole entire song that I haven't broken out in tears.''
But this was a day of many firsts.
What was supposed to be a performance of a lifetime was, Rashidra said, her ``worst performance.''
Both competitors were good, the audience thought, and the decision was rendered a tie. Both won television sets.
``She (Rashidra) has that inner desire that she will one day be a professional entertainer,'' her mom said.
Rashidra is as much a performer in school as she is on stage. Although she has aspirations of one day singing professionally, she stays focused on her studies and her true career choice of being a pediatrician - thanks to mom.
``I don't encourage it (singing professionally) that much,'' her mom said. ``I definitely want her to pursue her career. . . . She's strong in math and science. To me, those are the fields of the future.
``She can pursue music as well, but she always needs something solid in the event that dream doesn't pan out.''
Rashidera knows it, too. And it is by her own decree that she seeks education first, while hoping that other opportunities for performing will fall into place.
The trip to New York was not Rashidra's first, but it was the most memorable.
In the midst of one of the worst blizzards ever, Rashidra, her mother and friends drove to Manhattan in January for the taping of ``Showtime at the Apollo.'' They stayed in a ritzy hotel and decided to take the subway to Harlem.
From the moment they stepped out of the subway, an adventure began. They faced a torrential downpour, and Scott's hair and clothes were soaked without a hair dryer in sight. When they reached the theater, they learned that the band didn't know her music because her audition tape had been lost, and a live taping that was supposed to begin at 3 p.m. didn't get under way until midnight.
``It was torture,'' her mom said. ``Anything that could go wrong that day, went wrong.''
Her competitor's mom, who arrived with her son and luggage in hand, had a blow dryer and offered to let Rashidra use it. That helped.
After her mom had fixed her hair, Rashidra changed into an extra set of clothes and finished in time to get on stage and capture the attention of onlookers nationwide.
Rashidra's resume is longer than that of most adults. She has performed for the Hurrah Players, a local performing arts group, and appearing in a production of the Broadway hit ``Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.'' She also won the Future Miss Black Virginia pageant and sang at former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder's birthday bash in Richmond. Her travels have taken her to Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Rashidra was featured on WVEC-TV's ``Spotlight on Kids.''
She was recently accepted to the Governor's School for Performing Arts and plans to go to college after she finishes high school. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
STEVE EARLEY
The Virginian-Pilot by CNB