By Tamara Friske
Shin splints, sore muscles, and blisters won”t stop the students at the BYU dance camps from working hard this summer.
Every summer hundreds of youth from across the country come to BYU for dance training in various styles.
“I wanted to get better and improve,” said Heather Nolen, 15, from Carlsbad, N.M. “I think this is a really good camp.”
The students attend classes for around seven hours every day, taught by highly experienced teachers, said Kathleen Sheffield, director of BYU Youth Modern Dance and Jazz Workshop. Sometimes they will train new teachers who can continue to teach in future camps, she said.
“They”re very helpful, very professional, and they help you a lot,” said Bree Martinec, 15, from Morgan, Utah.
“It”s fun to see the girls grow physically and see them get a little bit more confident as they learn to achieve their goals,” said dance teacher Carly Allred, 22, from Springville, graduating in modern dance.
This is Allred”s second year teachimg at a BYU dance camp.
“My favorite part is just watching them perform and watching them dance and just seeing them light up when they move,” said Allred.
There are usually about 80 youth attending the camp and 25 energetic students in each class.
“I really like the jazz classes,” said student Ann Christensen, 15, from New York City. “And meeting new people; there are a lot of cool people here, and the activities are fun.”
Turns out it”s not all work, work, work for the students, they do have some out-of-class activities to participate in. These include movies, devotionals, Family Home Evening with their counselors, a trip to Temple Square, and a dance with the sports camp, which produces the most smiles and giggles.
The camps began in May and continue through August. They vary in styles, such as ballroom, clogging, ballet, folk dance and modern dance.
There are also sessions offered for adults.
Spots at the camp go fast, however. Sheffield said they usually fill up within the first few days.
“They come and they love it and so they just beg their parents — they want to come back,” said Sheffield. “We have a lot of returning students.”
The two-week camp costs $400 for local students who don”t stay in the dorms, and $600 to stay on campus, including three meals a day.
Despite the cost and the hard work, the students are doing what they love – dance.
“It really worked me a lot, I”ve improved a bunch,” said Nolen.
