THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 28, 1996 TAG: 9607260206
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 20 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARK YOUNG, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 64 lines
The path to stardom often begins in some of the least likely places.
Take, for example, the late movie star Lana Turner. She was said to have been discovered at the counter of Schwabb's drugstore in Hollywood.
Now comes Chris Moss' turn. The 16-year-old Virginia Beach teen's rise to the big stage began in fifth grade when a teacher, Mrs. Saunders, saw him and his friends clowning around on the playground of Hermitage Elementary School. Saunders was looking for a dance partner for her young daughter. She found one in Moss.
Numerous dance partners and thousands of hours of practice later, Moss is finished with clowning. His dancing is serious business.
At the recent national competition of the Tremaine Dance Conventions, Moss was awarded the title of Senior Male Dancer of the Year. It is the highest honor bestowed in the contest, which features about 1,500 dancers, competing over three days in Orlando, Fla.
Tremaine is a nationally recognized organization of dance professionals who have provided opportunities for training and recognition of student dancers in a series of regional and national conventions and competitions over 15 years.
The rising junior at Cox High School has gone to Las Vegas to assist Tremaine instructors there for a few days and then will spend three weeks in Los Angeles for advanced training with reknowned Hollywood and Broadway instructors.
Over the next year, Moss also will assist instructors at some of the 19 weekend conventions and competitions held nationwide. Last year's Senior Male winner, Dan Karaty, now teaches for Tremaine Dance Conventions. The 1994 winner is currently touring nationally as part of the company of ``West Side Story.'' Moss sees his future dancing and acting on television, in commercials, on the stage, and in movies.
During another stint at the Tremaine studio in North Hollywood, were he attended on scholarship last year, Moss rubbed elbows with Christina Applegate of ``Married with Children.''
``This is definitely where Chris is headed,'' says his longtime instructor and friend, Beth Cotterell of Premier Dance Centre in Virginia Beach. ``We will be seeing Chris no doubt on Broadway and at the Academy Awards. He's got that kind of talent.''
Articles on the young dancer will be featured in both Dance and Dancer magazines, perhaps as early as September.
Though Moss just turned 16, he's no newcomer to dance: he has paid his dues.
``He started with me when he was just 10, doing hip-hop. Then came jazz and tap, he's very versatile,'' Cotterell said.
Moss' success may be contagious.
``The energy in the studio is just phenomenal,'' Cotterell explained. ``The students came back from Orlando really ready to dance. It put us at more of a national level than we had been before.''
Two other students from Premier also are studying at the Tremaine studio this summer. Mandi Hooper is there for a month on scholarship, while Kerry Grant has an in-house scholarship for the entire year.
Moss' prominence helped pave the way for his fellow students by providing contacts in finding a place to stay. While the students' fees are waived by Tremaine, they are responsible for their own room and board. Even with other dance students or instructors to room with, the costs can be substantial.
Cotterell praises the commitment of parents, such as Kathy and John Moss, that help make these opportunities possible.
``His parents have backed him very well,'' she said. ``I can do all I can but if I don't have the parental backing, all the training will go out the window.'' by CNB