SoulEscape is a professional dance team based out of Dallas, Texas, that is coming to Salt Lake City on Oct. 16–18. The company was formed 11 years ago and is directed by Justin Giles. BYU student Samantha Williams will perform along with other dancers in the company.
“This is my first year with SoulEscape, but I worked with the choreographer Justin Giles when I was a Cougarette here at BYU,” Williams said. “I also worked with Justin (Giles) at Center Stage in Orem. He is great to work with; in fact, many studios bring him in to teach competition routines. After I had worked with him, I decided to audition for SoulEscape in LA.”
SoulEscape travels nationwide to perform. This season it tours to Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Denver, Detroit, St. Louis and Salt Lake City.
“As I’ve danced with SoulEscape, I’ve found that there is always a story behind the dance,” Williams said. “People can say we do cool moves, but there is always a story behind the dance moves.”
Ashley Butler also dances with SoulEscape, and she calls the group a family.
“My favorite thing about being a part of SoulEscape is the family that we are,” said Ashley Butler, dancer for SoulEscape. “Starting choreography from scratch and growing together is special. Being in a family-oriented space makes all the difference, and it takes a lot of vulnerability because we are starting a show from the beginning.”
Krissie Edwards, manager of the company, has known director Justin Giles for more than twenty years. They danced together while growing up in South Carolina and continue to work together today through SoulEscape.
“SoulEscape started in 2004,” Edwards said. “I love getting to work with my best friend. It is amazing to see the way that he works. He is so good at making his material not just work for dancers, but anyone who comes and sees the show will be able to relate to his choreography.”
SoulEscape offers professional and family-oriented entertainment. The company is known for having great integrity and always delivering a strong performance. And the members don’t just dance. They host constructive workshops with dancers in the areas they visit. Information about their workshops can be found here.
The performance is about an hour and 10 minutes and will be in Salt Lake City. Edwards explained that the show is unique to Utah because the video demonstrations that will be showed behind the dancers in the concert are Utah landscapes. One of the most recognizable areas seen in the video projections are the Salt Flats.
