With a theme of “Sing!” Kids From Wisconsin (KIDS) will perform , at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, July 21, in Sentry’s [email protected], 1800 North Point Drive, Stevens Point.

The theme is taken from Pentatonix, with lyrics to “Get Up and Dance,” “Just Feel the Beat” and “Sing.” This year the group will be singing and dancing to everything from the classics of Stevie Wonder, The Eagles and Elvis to the latest pop music.

Tickets are $16.50 for adults and $13.50 for seniors, students and youth. They are available for purchase through the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Ticket office online or at 715-346-4100 or in the community at Shulfer Sprinklers and Landscaping, BMO Harris Bank, Community First Bank, Members Advantage Credit Union, Associated Bank of Plover and Pioneer Bank.

Proceeds from the event will go to Plover Kiwanis for community programming.

KIDS includes students ages 15 to 20 and perform for more than 120,000 people at more than 60 venues throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest during the course of the summer.

“Our audiences always leave fulfilled, not only with the great music and dance they experienced by some of the most talented young people across the state, but a feeling of hope for future generations of performing artists and the realization that Wisconsin has a great resource in its youth of today,” said Tina Weiss, executive director of KIDS.

KIDS also has a free program called Realize Your Dream at various cities on their tour. This is for children ages 7 to 13 as a chance for KIDS to pay it forward to these communities. They have a chance to teach performance skills. There will be a session at 4 p.m. July 21, at Sentry’s [email protected]

“It also allows the troupe to touch a younger generation of KIDS to help inspire them to reach for their dreams and possibly help create future KIDS from Wisconsin,” Weiss said.

This year will celebrate the life of Gene Power, the group’s tour and band director over the past couple of years as well as an alumnus of the program. Power was killed in an accident last fall. His tribute performance was in Eau Claire Saturday, July 9.

Performance planning takes place throughout the year and some performances are booked over a year in advance. KIDS performs at community concerts, fairs and fundraisers for different nonprofit organizations. These performances help raise thousands of dollars for the organizations as well as supporting the performing arts community in Wisconsin.

The energy KIDS has during the first day of camp shines through throughout the performances in this high-energy production.

“It is always exciting to see them come together for the first day of camp, eager to learn and perform at their best,” Weiss said. “They all know they are part of something very special and they treat it as such.”

KIDS audition notices and school visits begin in September, just weeks after the performances from the summer end. Grant writing and fundraising takes a large portion of the year and formal auditions are in late February.

“Performing with like-minded youth that have eyes set on a career in the performance field yields lifelong friendships and produces that next step as professional performers,” Weiss said.