Camille Marsh, 15, poses during a lyrical duet to 'Cabaret.'

Cheryl Klatt has instructed students in the fine art of ballet at Maddox Dance Studio for years.

The Warrenton studio has turned out some notable names in its time grooming small-town children into big-city dancers, including Liz Miner, a soloist with the San Francisco Ballet.

But recently, instead of teaching students routines, Klatt judged them on combinations of their own making, which will be on display for the entire community at the Young Choreographers Showcase this weekend.

She says the event – featuring 21 acts, including solos, duets and trios – promises to be energetic and entertaining.

“It’s just really fun to watch what they come up with, how the music inspires them, what they bring out of the music, the imagery they use,” she says. “It’s just a lot of fun.”

The acts range from hip-hop and musical-theater jazz to classical ballet, contemporary ballet and a modern African dance piece. And they’re set to music from a bumping “Get Your Shine On,” to Broadway tunes, jazz, pop and classical songs.

Victoria Moyer, 12, kicks and shimmies her way through “One,” from “A Chorus Line,” in a performance vastly different from “The Lioness Hunt,” which she performs with 13-year-olds Eleni Duret and Naomi Olson.

Abigail Zimmerman, 11, performs a lyrical ballet sprinkled with modern moves to contemporary music.

Other dances include a contemporary ballet to “Baby Elephant Walk” and a routine to “Tritsch-Tratsch Polka.”

Ranging in age from 10 to 17 years old, the students have worked for weeks and months to prepare their personalized pieces, often studying art and music history in addition to dance. Completely independent of their teachers, the kids were responsible for all aspects of their performances, including choreography, choice of music and costume design and creation. It’s a big endeavor for such young people, says Maddox Dance Studio owner Jeanne Peterson.

Hannah Bacon practices her hip-hop piece at a recent rehearsal.”It’s wonderful to be able to have their ideas put forth in their choreography and their selection of the music and the costume,” she says.

Judges review them on their costumes as well as originality, technique and poise as they enter or exit the room, and they offer suggestions for dancers in each of the four skill levels of Little Ballet Theatre: senior, junior, apprentice and aspirant.

The students showed their results to a panel of three dance experts for the first time last weekend, and will tweak them and perform their polished pieces again on the Clatsop Community College Performing Arts Center stage, Friday and Saturday.

The studio has held the event celebrating young dancers for about 25 years, according to Peterson.

Chandra Whitaker, 11, performs her lyrical ballet number.”It’s so important,” she says. “It gives them an opportunity that many dancers don’t get until they’re adult dancers – the opportunity to have their own ideas presented publicly, and of course, in front of experienced judges.”

It also helps the students improve.

“They learn from watching each other, too… Little things you know they’ve seen and picked up on,” Peterson notes.

And on occasion, it also offers some fresh ideas for teachers.

“Normally, students just do what teachers tell them to do,” Peterson says. “But sometimes their ideas are just so imaginative… I’m sure we’ve gotten ideas from them.”

Victoria Moyer, 12, performs her musical theater jazz choreography to a song from ‘A Chorus Line.’

Kilee Kindred, left, and Emily Severson dance a peppy hip-hop number (with Kaley Harris, not pictured).