BYU Ballroom Dance Company performed a sneak peek of their upcoming tour at the Richards Building Dance Studio Theatre Oct. 14-15.
Featuring 32 performers, Ballroom Dance Company’s ‘Come Alive’ showcase presented 18 dances. From the Viennese Waltz to the Samba, the company performed a variety of different types of ballroom dance. Their showcase title “Come Alive” was inspired by their opening number and song of the same name from the movie The Greatest Showman.
BYU Performing Arts assistant director Karson Denney said the showcase is a great opportunity for the performers to perform on stage and get any small problems worked out before they present it to a public audience on their tour.
“The discipline and skill that each of the students has is really impeccable, something that the majority of them have been working on and trying to develop since they were just little,” Denney said. “It’s been really nice to see just the improvement that they’ve had from August up until now, just in a couple of months.”
Performer Laura Stirland said she hopes audience members can feel a bunch of different emotions from the performances.
“As they watch a beautiful waltz, you know the elegance of that, but then also feel the aggressiveness of the paso doble. Yeah just getting to feel that emotion and being involved,” Stirland said.
Stirland said she loves the united feeling of being on a team and working together to create something beautiful. She said she is able to create beautiful things herself, but it is much more meaningful with a family like the Ballroom Dance company.
Audience member Verdalee Barron said the showcase was “amazing, absolutely amazing.” Barron said she comes every year and she loves the feeling it gives her when the performers do their beautiful waltzes.
The Ballroom Dance company will begin their tour in Las Vegas and Southern California next week from Oct. 18-22. They will perform in Las Vegas, Irvine, Santa Barbara, Redondo beach and Escondido. Guests can find ticket information on the Performing Arts Management website.
