By Sandra Conchie Rising star Alex Hunter may be only 12 but she already has a glittering showbiz career clearly in her sights. The Judea teenager is one of 700 performers at the 49th annual Tauranga Festival of Performing Arts in a quest for awards and scholarships - part of her long-termgoal to hit the big time. "I've been dancing since I was six or seven and singing for almost two years, and I would just love to follow in the footsteps of Hayley Westerna. Or go the showgirl way, combining my singing and dancing to ultimately pursue a career on Broadway or the Westend, or even possibly in Europe." Alex said she recently sent a demo tape of songs to Kiwi entertainment agent and promoter Gray Bartlett, the person who helped launch Westerna's career, and he is keen to talk further. "Who knows where that might lead? But I'm rapt," the bubbly teenager said. Meanwhile, the Tauranga Intermediate student has plenty of opportunities to impress the judges as she is performing in 13 sections of the competition during the 10 days of the Baycourt event. It began on Friday and features music, dancing, singing, and speeches from entrants as young as seven. The event runs through to this Sunday. Already Alex has walked away with at least one win in the slow-tap dance section and a very highly commended in her latin/tango tap age group. Alex's dancing coach, Lisa Gifford, said her student is just coming into her own and she has high hopes for more success, not just at the performing arts festival. The young tap/jazz dancer, whose singing tutor is world-acclaimed entertainer Laurette Mears, will also take the stage alongside her teacher at the fundraising Fantasia concert in the Baptist Church Hall, Te Puke, on July 17. Proud mum Lisa Hunter, who designs all her Alex's costumes, said her multi-talented daughter is destined for big things but she is grounded in reality. "Alex knows it's going to be lots and lots of hard work to achieve her dream but she is prepared to put in the hard yards."
