The UA’s dance school is one of the top in the nation and has expanded in students and talent throughout the years. From April 20 to 29, student dancers and choreographers are showcasing their talents on stage at the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre.

The Jump Start Student Spotlight features 13 short dances all choreographed and performed by UA students in the program. To be featured in the spotlight, students had to audition. The faculty at UA Dance ultimately decided which students move on to Jump Start.

Tanner Boyer, a senior dance major, choreographed two pieces in the show. The first piece he preforms, called “The Process,” is a solo for his senior capstone. The second piece he choreographed, “Breakfast Burritos,” has 27 dancers. The dance is accompanied by the song “Sunday Candy” by Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment and Chance the Rapper.

“It’s very enjoyable to be on stage performing,” Boyer said. “In the moment, you are representing the meaning of the dance or the artists behind the choreography. Sometimes it’s hard to get out of your head, but in the end its always worth the great experiences.”

Boyer has gained a lot from his performances in Jump Start and his choreography symbolizes his experiences. 

“The solo is the process of me growing from a student into a professional, or transforming from a boy into a man,” he said. “The song and choreography is about processes in life and learning through them.”

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Joe Novak, a senior in dance, performed alongside his friend Boyer in “Breakfast Burritos.” 

“Tanner doesn’t usually perform his own choreography, which is why this Jump Start show is really special because he performs his last solo as a senior,” Novak said.

Novak said being part of a 27 person dance piece like “Breakfast Burritos” has had an impact on his college dance career. 

“Being on stage is really fun when you dance with friends, which is why I like doing student shows like Jump Start,” he said. “Dancing with your friends is something you share and experience with all of them, which can be fun and emotional all in one.”

Jump Start showcases a variety of different dance styles, but primary focuses on contemporary. Each student performance has a theme and message of its own, making the concert personal for many of its dancers and choreographers.

Other dance pieces include “Janus” choreographed and danced by Emigdio Arredondo who interprets Janus the god of transitions, beginnings, time and endings. The dance “Rebirth” is choreographed and danced by Michaela Harrington, mimicking the life of a flower.

Another student choreographer, Ross Freeman, is a dance and linguistics major. He was featured as one of the original choreographers for a piece called “Foreground/Background,” which showcases four female dancers dancing to the song “Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors” by Radiohead.

“Foreground/Background is about being in the spotlight rather than in the background,” Freeman said. “Its about having your time to shine and getting to showcase your own unique talent.”

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Freeman said he aspires to bring something unique to all his choreography.

“My goal is to make things that people haven’t really thought of before, but we are all influenced by what we are taught,” he said. “Part of being a dancer is taking what we’ve learned and making it our own. Dance is so suggestive, its really what you as an audience member, dancer or choreographer make it out to be.”

Jump Start Student Spotlight is  a one of a kind performance for and created by Wildcats. Tickets cost $12 for students and $25 for adults tickets. 

There are only two Jump Start Student performances left in the semester on Thursday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday April 29 at 1:30 p.m.

For more information on the Jump Start Student Spotlight or to purchase tickets online, visit click here.

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