Red Stars to shine in China

Derry

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July 2, 2009

By Julie Huss

DERRY — A local group of baton twirlers are readying to take on the world again.

The award-winning Red Star Twirlers have been invited to be part of the Shanghai Music Festival in August, 2010.

The trip to China comes on the tail of many, many years of successful competitions, trips abroad, and a long list of featured twirlers and performers making the grade and earning top honors for their twirling talents.

The Red Stars performed a "Cruise into Summer" show this past Sunday at Pinkerton Academy's Stockbridge Theatre, putting longtime members and younger twirlers in the spotlight with routines based on popular Broadway shows, and other fun music.

The show's proceeds helped support some of the Red Stars' favorite causes and charities including the Sonshine Soup Kitchen, N.H. Brain Injury Association, Relay for Life, Foster Grandparents and other organizations.

As part of the Red Star mission to teach its members and see the world, many former members of the group are now being highlighted at colleges and universities across the country, as well as many twirlers scoring big as part of the Miss America organization and its competitions on the New Hampshire front.

The invitation to head to Shanghai next summer came as a complete surprise, according to Red Stars' founder and director Gina Hutchinson. After meeting with parents, it was decided the trip was a chance of a lifetime.

Previous Red Star teams traveled abroad to Russia, Spain, Ireland, and Germany, making for many memories of a lifetime and a broader view of the world.

Hutchinson said she is working on a plan to open the China trip to others so many "could experience China with the hometown team."

The Red Stars will host the annual summer "Camp Red Star" set to be held Aug. 3-7. To learn more about the Red Stars, e-mail the team at theredstars@yahoo.com.

To see more of the Red Stars' Sunday performance at Pinkerton, watch a slide show of the event at www.derrynews.com.