Elmont girl to perform at Radio City

Posted

When Samantha Stewart was only 4-months-old, her father Dylan, a police officer at the 70th precinct of the New York Police Department, was shot and killed in the line of duty.

According to Stewart’s mother, Leslyn, Dylan was following a car that ran a red light in Brooklyn on Nov. 28, 2005. When the driver noticed that a police car was following him, he shot Dylan several times. Dylan was rushed to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

“I think at that point it was undeniably the worst thing that happened,” Leslyn said.

The family was able to move forward with the help of law enforcement and due to different opportunities, such as the opportunity to dance at Radio City Music Hall as part of the annual Garden of Dreams Talent Show. Samantha’s older sister Alexis previously participated in the talent show, and Samantha will be following in her footsteps on March 27.

The Garden of Dreams Foundation is a nonprofit organization that works with The Madison Square Garden Networks and MSG Networks Inc. to help children facing obstacles fulfill their dreams. Each year, The Garden of Dreams Foundation puts on a talent show to provide children from various Garden of Dreams partner organizations, including the New York Police Department’s Widow’s and Children’s Fund, to perform on

the Great Stage at Radio City Music Hall.

“It’s an opportunity for me to be able to dance for them, and it’s like a reflection of my dad’s memory,” Samantha, 12, said.

Samantha has been dancing since she was 6-years-old and had to audition against about 70 other talented children. To prepare for the opportunity, she practices her routine three times a week. She will perform a contemporary dance with Alexis to Lady Gaga’s “A Million Reasons,” Samantha said, because “there are about a million reasons why my dad will be unforgettable.”

The 2018 Garden of Dreams Talent Show will take place at the Radio City Music Hall on March 27 at 7 p.m. The performance is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.gardenofdreamsfoundation.org.