By Lindsay Whitehurst
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Erin Lause (left) shows the costume she'll wear in her competition in Honolulu. At right is dance coach Nikki Lanzetta of the Ben-Gals. (Provided photo)

MASON - Erin Lause was 3 years old when her mother knew she was destined to be a dancer.

"She was watching Paula Abdul on MTV and, after watching her a few times, she starting doing the exact same dance moves. I knew I had found her forte," Jenny Lause said.

This weekend, Erin, a junior at Mason High School, will be on TV herself as one of 800 dancers chosen to perform in the halftime show at the Pro Bowl in Honolulu (7:30 p.m., ESPN). She was chosen for a spot at the American Cheer and Dance Camp last summer.

After taking lessons for three years, she decided that traditional jazz and tap dancing weren't for her.

Today, she creates hip-hop and funk routines as captain of her high school dance team. Last year, she also joined the Southern Ohio Rebels, a competitive dance team coached by Ben-Gals cheerleader Nikki Lanzetta.

"I really like our moves," Erin said. "They're all from MTV and BET."

Erin has six dance practices a week between the school dance team and the Rebels.

"It keeps me in shape," she said. "I like it, though."

Now in Honolulu, Erin has just a week to learn her routine for the halftime show.

While Hawaii may be the longest trip her mother has made to watch her daughter perform, it's far from the first.

"Every time I watch her perform, my eyes well up and I get goose bumps. We turn to each other and say, 'Where did she get that from?'" Lause said.

While in Honolulu, Erin will also perform a solo 2-minute routine in a competiton for $1,000 to $5,000 college scholarships.

"This is her passion," her mother said.