DANCE DUO TO BE IN NATIONAL CONTEST

Rebecca and Ryan Keller, a brother-sister dance team from Cape Girardeau, will compete in July at the Regency Talent National Dance Competition in St. Louis.

The duo placed first in the regional competition to qualify for the national contest, which will be held July 16-22. They will perform to the music of "Swing Kids" at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Union Station.

One of the judges is from the "Star Search" television show; another from the film company, Russell Clark/Tony Selznick Productions.

Rebecca will be a seventh-grader at L.J. Schultz School in the fall and Ryan will be in fifth-grade at Alma Schrader. They earned second place in the Rhee Gold's American Dance Awards and third place in the Showstopper American Dance Championships.

They also were selected by audition to attend State Ballet of Missouri this summer. It is a two-week workshop taught by Missouri State Ballet dancers.

The Kellers take tap, jazz and ballet classes at Academy of Dancearts. Their teachers are Michelle Morris and Kara Finley. They are the children of Roy and Kathy Keller of Cape Girardeau.