By Jordan Imlah
With dreams of professional performing careers in their eyes, dancers from ages 13 to 18 from around the United States and Canada have come to attend BYU”s Youth Modern Dance and Jazz Camp for two weeks to improve their technique and learn new steps.
Fifty-seven dancers from 17 states and Canada arrived Monday to experience professional instruction in modern dance technique, hip hop, composition, improvisation, repertory, musical dance theater, Hungarian dance, Irish dance and competition aerobic, said Kathleen Sheffield, seven-year program director. BYU”s nationally recognized dance faculty, which will be assisted by guest instructors, is one of the contributing reasons to the program”s success and popularity.
Sheffield, director for the BYU Children and Teen”s Creative Dance Program as well as a faculty member of BYU”s Department of Modern Dance, has been involved with this program since 1982.
“The participants dance all day, every day and … our camp is unique in that we admit dancers who have had limited to no experience, as well as advanced dancers,” Sheffield said.
Because of the wide range of their skills, dancers are allowed to progress at their own pace, which allows experienced and beginning dancers to attend classes together. Classes are kept small so that each participant receives personal attention and direct feedback, Sheffield said.
Many of these young dancers have gone on to pursue successful careers in various fields of dance. One dancer who participated in this camp two years ago is currently a sophomore at The Julliard School. Other dancers have gone on to attend BYU and have danced or are dancing with The Dancer”s Company, BYU”s top modern dance performing group.
Each participant will be featured in an informal showcase 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the dance theater, 185 RB. The show is free to the public.
