For would-be stars, South Florida spins dreams.

Publication: South Florida Sun-Sentinel (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service)

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COPYRIGHT 2005 South Florida Sun-Sentinal

Byline: Sandra Hernandez

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ This classroom has no chalkboards, desks or books. Instead, scantily clad women and buff men who want to make it big on the small screen rehearse melodramatic scenes like:

"I'm sick of you!" says Natalia, a petite 23-year-old Colombian student, as she confronts Evelyn, a wafer-thin Dominican student.

"Whatever, drama queen!" replies Evelyn, 29, as she teeters away on four-inch stiletto heels.

"What do you mean `Whatever,' super model!" says Natalia, grabbing Evelyn's arm and spinning her around to face her.

So goes another day at Aquiles Ortega's Centro Internacional Formacion Actoral Luz Columba, or CIFALC, a school that recently opened in Miami to train would-be soap opera stars who dream of being part of small-screen hits as likely to be shot along Fort Lauderdale's beaches as they are in Mexico City.

Here Natalia Trejos, Evelyn Jimenez and about 23 other students learn to cry, fight or simply scheme...

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