Paul Morris student stars in Disney Movie

Courtesy Photo
Sicklerville resident and longtime student of Paul Morris Dancexplosion in Hammonton made his movie debut in a Disney Channel movie Minutemen.
 
by Julie Fink, Gazette Staff Writer

Hard work, determination and faith made a local teen’s dream of stardom a reality. On January 25, Dexter Darden, 16, a life-long resident of Sicklerville, premiered in his first major on-screen role in Minutemen, a Disney Channel original movie.
Darden stars as Chester, the “king of the geek squad” who is transformed with the help of the Minutemen who give him stylish threads that turn him into one of the most popular guys in their high school.
According to Darden, The Minutemen are three seniors who have built a time machine that can transport them back 48 hours in order to help change their classmates’ embarrassing mistakes.
Darden stars alongside Jason Dolley of the Disney Channel series “Cory in the House,” Chelsea Staub who played Meredith Dimly in the 2007 movie Bratz and Luke Benward of the 2006 movie How to Eat Fried Worms.
“It was a blast shooting it. I was amazed to be on the set with so many talented kids,” Darden said.
This small town boy had big screen dreams as early as age four.
His beginnings as a performer started with singing and playing the harmonica and piano for the congregation of the St. John’s United Methodist Church in West Berlin.
“I grew up singing in the church. It was my first taste at performing and I just loved the stage. It truly is magical for me when I hit the stage. I become a different person,” he said.
Darden’s first experience with the professional limelight happened at the age of nine when Paul Newman witnessed him singing karaoke in Atlantic City and asked him to perform for a charity function to benefit the Paul Newman Camps for Kids with Leukemia.
The Paul Newman Camps for Kids with Leukemia are summer camps around the world that take in children ill with cancer and serious blood diseases and give them a chance to enjoy childhood by trying activities that their lives normally would not permit.
Darden sang and danced and performed a Michael Jackson impersonation at the Lincoln Center in New York City. The event also featured the star power of such actors as Julia Roberts, Whoopi Goldberg, Jerry Seinfeld, Robin Williams and Paul Newman.
At the age of ten, Darden expanded his talents at Paul Morris Dancexplosion, located on Bellevue Avenue in Hammonton where he learned tap, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, modern and lyrical dance.
Just recently, Darden stared in the lead role of the Paul Morris Dancexplosion performance of the Nutcracker at the Hammonton High School.
“I really have to thank the instructors at Paul Morris for boosting my confidence; they not only changed me as a dancer but as a person as well. They helped put me on the road to stardom,” Darden said.
Darden has continually made strides to increase his range of expertise and has also added modeling to his repertoire.
Darden attributes his success to his faith in God and himself and the strong support system which surrounds him. He is especially grateful to his mother, Patricia, who has always stood by his side.
“My mother was always an inspiration to me. She just helped me do so much,” he said.
Darden lost his father at the age of eight but through such a difficult experience in his life found the strength and a willingness to strive for his dreams.
“I saw how my mother struggled as a single mother; she worked hard to take care of me. The experience of losing my father fueled me to be an inspiration to others. And to represent to any small town kid who thinks something is impossible, that it is not,” he said.
The future for Darden looks bright with his next feature film coming in 2009 starring in the lead role in Sizzlean, directed by T. Scott Keiner.
Sizzlean premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah December 2007, where it received the financial backing it needed to create a full-length feature film.
According to Darden, Sizzlean is a family movie about four orphans who escape from an orphanage on a path to find their families, running into a lot of obstacles along the way.
“My plan for the future is to continue to pursue my acting and entertainment career and to take it to where I want it to go. Then once I have reached those goals I want to begin working toward my other goal of being a pediatrician,” he said.
Darden attributes his passion and desire to help children with illnesses to his experience with the Paul Newman charity.
For more information on the Minutemen visit the Disney Channel website at http://tv.disney.go.com/disneychannel/originalmovies/minutemen.