LOCAL BANDS AND DJS FEATURED AT NEW DANCE CLUB FOR YOUTHS.

Byline: Greg Botonis Staff Writer

LANCASTER - Antelope Valley teens will have a place to call their own with the opening next week of a club promising a safe environment free of alcohol and drugs.

Savanna, located in a remodeled former movie theater, will offer a 5,000-square-foot dance floor, a snack bar, and entertainment provided by local bands and DJs, its young operators say.

``When we were going to school, there was really nothing to do here,'' said 21-year-old club manager Nimisha Rajapaksa, a Quartz Hill High School graduate. ``There were house parties but there would be fights and drinking. I just thought a place for kids to go where they could have fun without alcohol had to be worth it. We just want kids looking for something to do to come here and have fun in a safe environment free from drugs, alcohol and gangs.''

Rajapaksa will manage the club for her 23-year-old brother, Dylan Rajapaksa, the owner. Their parents, Saroj and Priyam Rajapaksa, obtained the location, 43951 15th St. W., and handled much of the remodeling, but the siblings say they are on their own with the running of it.

Both Dylan and Nimisha work at Quality Care Providers, their parents' business, which provides educational help and recreation for 5- to 21-year-olds with ``high functioning'' disabilities.

The club will offer different types of entertainment: Christian bands on Sunday mornings, Spanish rock on Sunday evenings. On Mondays, DJs spin underground, hip-hop, reggae, jungle, trance, hard-core techno and house music. Tuesday will be jazz music, and Wednesday will star bands from the Los Angeles County Probation Department's Young Amateur Musicians Association.

Thursday night will highlight local bands performing punk, alternative, rock, funk and ska. Friday and Saturday will again feature local DJs spinning their own selections of music.

``There are a lot of bands and DJs out here that really don't have any place to go,'' Nimisha said. ``This will benefit everybody.''

The effort won praise from community leaders.

Lancaster Mayor Frank Roberts said he was apprehensive at first about the idea of a club for teen-agers but knew the family from their business and was quickly won over.

``They have had great success in working with younger children in the valley, so it seemed a natural progression to continue that work to teens,'' Roberts said. ``This is something that will be highly acceptable with teens and the families of teens in the area. Knowing them, I think it will be highly successful.''

Lancaster sheriff's station officials say they have offered security tips and will make frequent patrols of the parking lot and have deputies stop by to make sure things are going smoothly.

The club rules are simple: No drugs, alcohol, gang attire or gang activity allowed, and everyone must have fun, Priyam said.

Although the club is aimed at ages 15 to 21, all ages are welcome. The operators are also looking into opening one afternoon a week for younger children.

A grand opening ceremony will be held on April 23, and the actual opening will be April 26.

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Nimisha Rajapaksa and her brother Dylan sit on the stage of Savanna, their new dance club that will offer a safe, drug-free environment for teens.

(2) Savanna, a new club in Lancaster for teens, features a 5,000-square- foot dance floor and a snack bar. The club is set to open next week.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer