By Steve Bigham

Twelve members of the Newtown High School Markettes dance team will head to New York City next week to perform at Madison Square Garden – often called the most famous arena in the world.

This all-female group will strut its stuff at halftime of the Knicks-Clippers game on Monday before a crowd of some 20,000 people. The game tips off at 1 pm with the halftime show to take place about an hour later. So, don’t run out to get your hot dogs as the second quarter winds down. Stick around for the show, which will feature three high school teams on the floor with the Knick City Dancers.

The Markettes already put on an impressive dance routine at halftime of the NHS basketball games. Monday’s act is simply before a much larger venue.

Newtown High’s own dance group was selected this past summer while taking part in the Knicks City Dancers camp at Fairleigh Dickinson College in Madison, New Jersey. The Markettes represent Connecticut, while schools from New York and New Jersey will also be on hand.

“It will be a five minute routine with all three schools dancing together, but each school will be featured at different parts of the dance. The Knick City Dancers will be mixed in with us at different time, but they’re trying to give us the focus,” noted senior co-captain Jessica Clark.

The Markettes, who do not have a coach, have been preparing for their big performance for more than a month, working side-by-side with one of the Knick City dancers. All three teams will practice for three hours on the floor of the Garden this Saturday and will return Monday at 7 am. The Newtown team plans to stay in the City overnight Sunday.

“It hasn’t really hit me yet that I’m going to be dancing at Madison Square Garden,” admitted co-captain Cathy Byrne.

Both captains said the team will not watch much of the game. Instead, Clark figured, she and her teammates will be “freaking out and being really nervous” in the locker room.

The Knicks provided two tickets to each Markette and most of the dancers’ parents will be on hand. NHS Principal Bill Manfredonia has also worked hard to come up with tickets for other friends and family who want to be there for the show.

The local dancers will be wearing black pants and silver shirts.

Newtown High School’s Channel 17 film crew will also be on hand to film the event and to interview the Markettes before and after the show.

For Bucknell-bound Clark, a four-year member of the squad, this is the biggest event she has been involved in as a Markette. In the past, NHS Markettes have marched in the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena and the St Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City.

Monday’s game will be televised on MSG (Channel 55). However, there is no word as to whether the network will televise the halftime show.