The Sonder Starlets from Potosi, Missouri have been asked to perform a total of three times in Arkansas!
The Sonder Studio started the Starlets three years ago. They are a traveling dance group that performs a new show every year at a variety of locations! They have goals set in mind, like going farther and farther away from town, then out of state, and eventually international.
They just hit a massive marker in their future as performers and storytellers! Xanthia Lace, a former PHS graduate and the coach of the Starlets, was in tears when she heard about getting invited to Arkansas.
Xanthia said, “We weren’t planning on going out of state until we were a team for five years.” She said, “We hit that goal two years earlier because of the amount of hard work these girls put in.”
When the performers and technicians heard, they were close to tears as well. They set to work immediately. Getting enough money to go was a big issue, so they came up with a fundraiser to get that cash: cakepops. They were popular too. They made over what the goal amount was in three days, only selling the cake pops for one dollar each.
The girls were excited and nervous beyond belief.
“I never expected to go out of state this soon,” Mercy Grace said, who was a first year on the team.
“I’ve never been out of state before, so this is going to be awesome!” Heidi was also a first year.
“I’m super excited! I enjoy telling these stories, and I can’t wait to share it with a bigger crowd of people!” Evie Wallace said. She was a third year, and had been a part of the team since it began.
As soon as the girls got to their rental house, they couldn’t stop talking about what it would be like. They would be performing at a Narnia fair, the original to the one they performed at in Springfield, Missouri. The girls couldn’t wait to explore around the fair and perform in front of all the people.
That morning, they woke up at six in the morning to get ready, and headed out for the Narnia fair at nine thirty. When they arrived, things were… mildly disappointing.
“I was expecting more, you know?” Xanthia said. “The one in Missouri had more vendors, more people, more things to do. I’m glad we got to come, and maybe it’s just the hurricane rain.”
The moving in weather from the hurricanes sure did have some kind of effect. It was windy, making the dresses and capes in the girls’ costumes fly up during their performances. However, they pushed through and gave their crowds a great show!
“I think they did really good! Even the other cast members and vendors came out to watch!” Mel Vitela, one of the technicians and a PHS senior, said.
Overall, the trip was a success. The Starlets reached a major milestone, and they even did something on social media that got them great exposeir!
“Look at the Tiktok! 11,000 views!” Rosy Wallace, another third year, exclaimed.
The team had made TikToks about their experience at the fair, and they had a major success with their most recent one.
Needless to say, the Starlets have big things ahead of them, and they can’t wait to get there.
