MURFREESBORO — The newly founded Arkansas Chapter of Kids Unlimited (KU) will host their fall signups beginning this Friday and Saturday, August 4-5 at 51 Courthouse Square in the loft of Hawkins’ Variety Store.
The time will also provide residents a chance to meet the proprietor, Jennie Marshall-Wright, and ask questions about the activities.
Kids Unlimited is musical-theater based, combining singing, dancing and acting. Their mission is “to provide a safe stage for children and teens through the performing arts” where they can apply what they learn in our classes, and build self confidence and self esteem along the way.
A non-profit organization, much more about KU can be found at their website KUstars.com.
KU began in 1986 under the direction of Carol Sottosant with the support of her husband Vincent while looking for a place for her talented daughters to gain stage experience and self confidence.
Unable to find anything in Tucson, she started Kids Unlimited (with another mom), with the idea that children were unlimited in what they could accomplish. KU began with a handful of children who each had a song or two to sing or dance to, and soon they were creating group numbers and small shows were born.
Jennie is one of those students, later serving as a resident and founding choreographer throughout her high school and college years. Soon after she finished college at the American Musical And Dramatic Academy in New York City, she began a very successful career which has taken her singing and dancing all over the world.
Jennie said she always made time to bring her growing knowledge of musical theater back to Kids Unlimited when in Tucson. Fortunately, her sister Kelli Workman, is a permanent resident of Tucson, has been able to continue her work. She has been part of KU since the age of 6.
The original KU continues to thrive with a full service performing arts studio (KU Studios, home of Kids Unlimited) in Tucson, which provides Kids Unlimited performing group classes, and lots of vocal and dance classes. Community service is a big part of our mission, with the group performing at nursing homes, retirement communities, festivals, charitable events, to name just some. The KU kids are on stage at least once a month honing the skills they learn in classes.
Now that Jennie has made her home in Arkansas, she feels the time is right to bring KU to another wonderful community, bringing a world of experience in the performing arts, both as a professional performer and as a founding member and choreographer of this successful organization. She loves her new home in the Murfreesboro area, and is excited to start teaching.
For more information, call Jennie at (520) 561-1872 or e-mail kukidsar@gmail.com.
