Dance

Laura Sturza MAGNOLIA PARK DISTRICT -- Burbank sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders can dance to a deejays's pop and hip-hop music at a holiday middle school dance Saturday. Students must bring their school identification or a written note from their parents. School dress code will be strictly enforced. Prizes donated by community businesses will be raffled off, and the Burbank Lions Club will sell refreshments. The event will be staffed by Burbank Parks, Recreation and Community Services staff members, the dance's sponsor.

Molly Shore Candice Barlea is only 5, but the Edison Elementary School first-grader has already appeared on stage with the Lula Washington Dance Company. Candice was one of about a dozen students who were selected to join members of the Los Angeles-based dance troupe when they entertained students during an assembly Monday in the school auditorium. Although Candice stepped through her stage fright and enjoyed the experience, she said she has no aspirations to be a dancer.

Ryan Carter Trigger-lock safety bill signed SACRAMENTO -- A bill written by State Sen. Jack Scott (D-Burbank) that guarantees gun- lock devices sold or distributed in the state are safe was signed by the governor this week. The bill makes it illegal to sell or distribute firearm locks that have not been approved by the California Department of Justice. Fines will range from $500 to $5,000. If a licensed dealer commits three violations within five years, the dealer's license will be revoked.

Burbank resident Amelia Uzategui Bonilla, 17, a student at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, is one of 100 semifinalists in the 15th annual Music Center Spotlight Awards program for performing arts. Amelia competed in the category of modern dance. Other categories include ballet, classical voice, nonclassical voice, classical instrumental music and jazz instrumental music. She will attend a professional master dance class and compete at auditions where two finalists will be chosen in each category.

TODAY New Years? Eve Dinner/Dance begins at 7:15 p.m. at the Joslyn Adult Center, 1301 W. Olive Ave., Burbank. Guests 55 and older will dine and dance to Betty Vincent & Friends until midnight. Tickets are $28 each for dinner and dance ($25 with Burbank Senior Activity Card), or $22 for dance only ($20 with senior card). Reservations are required and can be made by calling (818) 238-5353. ? SATURDAY Burbank Certified Farmers Market is from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. rain or shine every week at Orange Grove Avenue and Third Street.

The echoes of hip-hop remixes and contemporary dance routines bounced through crowded gyms Saturday at Glendale High School, as hundreds of California teens converged on the site for a regional dance competition. Groups of girls twirled in shimmering skirts and skin-tight suits in a practice room, while others stood by to coach and critique teams before they performed in front of bleachers full of screaming onlookers and judges from the United Spirit Assn., which sponsors a national competition series.

Jackie Conley Middle school students kicked off the three-day weekend with a dance dedicated to love. More than 100 Luther Burbank Middle School students lined up outside the gymnasium after school let out Friday afternoon, eager to get inside for the Valentine's Day dance. "The good part about these dances is you actually get to ask a girl to go with you," said 11-year-old Stephen Flores. "But the bad part is when they reject you." Luther Burbank was one of three middle schools that celebrated Valentine's Day with dances, along with Muir and Jordan.

Molly Shore BURBANK -- Stefanie Bernhard, a Burbank High School dance major, will be awarded a Governor's Arts Scholar Medallion at a noon ceremony Friday, hosted by Paramount Pictures. The event will be held in observation of California Arts Scholars Day designated by the California State Legislature. Stefanie is one of 170 Los Angeles County students selected to attend a monthlong California State Summer School for the Arts, an intensive pre-professional training program established by the Legislature in 1986.

TOOMBS-PACKARD Launie Lee Toombs and Jeffrey Craig Packard were married in Topanga, Calif. The Rev. Mark Huntington officiated. After the couple's first dance, a combined mother-son and father-daughter dance followed by a special dance for all "Disney Lovers." Photo collages of the bride and groom were shown with a memorial to their parents. The matron of honor was Kimberly Irvine, the bride's sister. Attending the bride were the bride's nieces, Emily and Ali Irvine, and Yvonne Packard, the groom's daughter-in-law.

HOMETOWN Burbank is a city, but it feels like a town Saying hello to people is going around Not much crime or gangs in the streets People helping neighbors stand on their feet The Boys and Girls Club and the YMCA Open after school so our kids can play A lot more to this than meets the eye Hardworking people to make it all fly The City Council is taking our calls While business is booming at...