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Schools

Canton Whiz Kid: Marissa Davis

Canton teen rehearses for performance and transition.

Name: Marissa Davis

Age: 14

School: Fontbonne Academy

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Key to Awesomeness: Preparing for success.

Accomplishments: At a young age, Marissa Davis understands the importance of preparing for success.

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“It was a good way to meet people from school,” she said of her experience at Fontbonne Academy’s Musical Theatre Summer Camp. When the Canton resident enters Fontbonne in just days – she will do so already knowing four other incoming freshmen.

The longtime dancer earned the role of Snoopy’s friend for the performance. “It [dance] helped in auditions; I really got the dance parts,” she said.

Dancing in all the group numbers, she also played an orphan and Friedrich Von Trapp in the Annie and Sound of Music sequences, respectively.

Competing nationally with her dance team at Disney World on the Fourth of July - Marissa was a natural to help teach others who needed extra help with dancing for the show.

Describing the camp experience as being a good mix between having fun and doing the serious work necessary to perform in a musical, actors, singers and dancers enjoyed an exceptional collaboration.

Improvisational acting games in particular helped the dancer to stay in character.

Fontbonne ensured everyone felt comfortable, cared about, and an important part of the experience - an excellent preview of things to come at her new school.

Meeting people her own age, and getting first-hand insight and information from seniors, graduates and teachers provided a true experience at Fontbonne.

She ate the cafeteria each day, saw classrooms, lockers, the gym and performed on Fontbonne’s stage.

All of this was the perfect rehearsal setting for a successful September entry, and as artists of all types know, preparation is the key to true success.

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