THAT WINNING SPARK SOUTHLAND SISTERS ENERGIZE WNBA DANCE TEAM.

Byline: Mariel Garza Staff Writer

VAN NUYS - They performed for the Sultan of Brunei in Malaysia and danced with Whitney Houston in South Africa before they even reached their teens.

Now Mistey Ramdhan, 17, and her sister Vanitey, 15, are dancing courtside with 19 other SparKids! for the WNBA Western Conference champs Los Angeles Sparks.

And as the team tries to wrap up the Women's National Basketball Association championship tonight at Staples Center, the Van Nuys teens are gearing up to expend some serious energy to spur the team on to victory.

``It's lot of hard work, but it's worth it,'' said Vanitey, the younger of the two look-alike sisters who perform at the team's home games as members of the SparKids!, a troupe of dancers ages 8 to 17.

To prepare for the games, the sisters rehearse their singing and dancing twice a week and participate in special appearances with the players such as Sparks Forward DeLisha Milton and celebrities.

Stacey Stewart, creator of the SparKids! and a former Laker Girl, said Mistey and Vanitey bring a lot of energy to the group, adding that Vanitey was probably the season's most improved of the SparKids!.

``They're beautiful girls, that's for sure,'' Stewart said. ``And I don't mean just physically. They're nice girls.''

Their sister relationship also gives them a certain sparkle.

``They work differently when they're apart and seem to be stronger when in game together,'' Stewart said. ``Together, they offer something and individually they dance strong as well.''

The sisters are also academic achievers.

To join SparKids!, dancers must provide grades and academic letters of recommendation.

``We're looking for kids who exude enthusiasm, who are healthy in their outlook on life and who like people,'' Stewart said. ``Most people aren't going to see that they're straight-A students. That's just icing on the cake.''

The song and dance business is old hat to the two teens. It all started when they were just 4 and 6. Their mother, Sherry Wright, said she found them in the living room with their cousins and siblings, listening to Janet Jackson and dancing around.

A friend of Wright's who worked for Motown suggested that she organize the children into a performing group. Soon after, the kids started taking dance classes like jazz, hip hop and ballet.

Their big break for the two came a few years later when they auditioned for Whitney Houston. Of nearly 300 kids, Mistey caught the pop diva's eye. Soon, at ages 7 and 9, the two were jetting around as background dancers for Houston's performances in exotic locales including Johannesburg and Durban in South Africa, and Brunei in Malaysia where they gave the sultan a show.

Although performing for an international audience might seem nerve- racking for two young girls, Vanitey shrugs it off like a true professional.

``Well, you get nervous right before,'' she said, ``but then you start and it's O.K. If you're a true dancer, you're just dedicated to what you love.''

Despite their world exposure, the duo's biggest fans are their family members. Mistey said her family, including her mother, sister and two brothers, are often hoarse from yelling the day after a Sparks game. ``They're very supportive,'' she said. ``They come to every game.''

Wright still gets emotional when she watches her daughters perform.

``Oh, my gosh, it brings a tingling feeling inside when I see them,'' she said.

This is the first season that the sisters performed in the stadium with the SparKids!, and it will be the last for Mistey, who reaches the age limit of 18 next month.

But the end comes at the right time academically because she will begin her third semester of classes at Valley College next week. She will transfer to California State University, Northridge, in January.

Vanitey, who will be a senior at Birmingham High School in Van Nuys this year, will not have to give up the SparKids!, though she will have to reaudition each year. She plans on going to college after she graduates next year, with hopes of being a lawyer.

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(color) SparKids! Vanitey, left, and Mistey Ramdhan in their role as WNBA supporters, work to spread the excitement in Staples Center. In addition to the dance squad, the siblings have appeared with pop star Whitney Houston in performances around the world.

Tina Burch/Staff Photographer