The local dance group Looney Toonz will appear on BET. It's not often local residents will drive through downtown Gaffney and find the lights dimmed at the Meadow Street Barber Shop, where burning the "midnight oil" has become the norm as barbers provide customers with fresh haircuts seemingly any time of day.

Usually consumed by the sound of hair clippers and the chatter of those waiting to take their place in the barber's chair, the evening hours have been more quiet recently at the place of business, only disturbed by the voices of six Gaffney teens and the occasional blaring of a boom box.

Trying to get their cadence down on the linoleum floors of the local barber shop is a far cry from the days spent perfecting their moves on Cherokee County's red clay, using music from the radio found in their parents' vehicles.

Dreams aren't supposed to come true. Don't tell the members of the dance group Looney Toonz, who will get the chance to travel to New York City and show off their skills in front of a national audience next month on BET 106 & Park's male dance team version of 'Wild-Out Wednesday (W.O.W.).' One of the channel's most watched segments, W.O.W. provides acts that are not yet known the opportunity to showcase themselves, a chance members of Looney Toonz felt would happen many years ago.

"For some reason, we've always had the feeling that we would be famous," said Corbin Hogue, a member of the local dance group. "Being able to take the stage on 106 & Park has been a dream we've been pursuing for a long time. At the beginning of the year, we told everyone 2009 would be our year; we've proved that to friends and family here, now we have to show the whole country."

The group stood out from dozens of others a few weeks ago in Charlotte at the "Showcase of the South" for the opportunity to perform on the show. Executives in the music, entertainment and television industries were in the audience, one of whom was Pat Charles, BET 106 & Park senior writer and casting director for W.O.W., who said Looney Toonz stood out because of its showmanship and the fact its members understand the value of entertainment.

"I must have sat through dozens of mediocre auditions before the Looney Toonz walked in," Charles said. "I didn't know what to expect, but after the first 20 seconds I knew they were a great fit for the show. They have great showmanship and they are a direct reflection of 106 & Park's demographic."

The group — Hogue, Josh Allen, Jonathan Poole, Chane Dukes, Julian Ganzaroli and James Littlejohn — formed two years ago, the result of a common love for pushing boundaries with their dance moves.

"It's sort of ironic that we came up with the name Looney Toonz while in I.S.S. (in-school suspension)," Dukes said. "Each of us provide something different, a quality we feel makes us a great group. It gives people a lot to look at and be entertained."

Several members of Looney Toonz have performed with Bad Boy Entertainment artist Michael McCluney, part of the R&B singing group Day 26, in addition to being part of the Gaffney High School step team. The group looks to performers like James Brown, Michael Jackson, Usher and Chris Brown for inspiration, as well as the JabbaWockeeZ, the winners of the premiere season of the MTV hit series "America's Best Dance Crew."

Like the JabbaWockeeZ, Looney Toonz has dealt with its own share of tragedy, losing group member Nathaniel Resper last April to injuries suffered in a crash along Interstate 85.

"(Resper) was a true friend, more like family," Allen said. "If you didn't have shoes, shirts, anything, he would take off what he had to give to you. That was just the person he was."

In the months before he died, Resper reminded group members daily they were on the road to greatness. Though tough to move ahead following Resper's death, Looney Toonz pushed on, using their fallen friend as inspiration to "grind harder."

"There is not a day that I do not think about him," Ganzaroli said. "He was a big part of why we're together as a group, and for him we dedicate the show in New York."

Making it in front of a national audience, is great, but according to Hogue the goal is to win the competition that includes dance teams from Newark, N.J., and Atlanta, Ga.

"We want to put on a show that everyone can enjoy, but we're not just happy making it," Hogue said. "But to do that we'll need the support of everyone young and old from Gaffney, because we're doing this for all the people who have ever been told they could not make it, or told they were destined to fail.

"We want to make the people back home proud."

If anyone would like to donate funds to help the local dance group with their trip, contact (864) 489-1230, (864) 838-3373, (864) 425-1472, or (864) 838-0154.